thread of getting sw0le

cuet

I was grabbing things from the fridge aisle at trader joe’s and had my headphones on, as is my want, but still definitely overheard the young woman next to me say, “he’s a muscle man” and flex. 💪💁‍♀️

yeah well you misspelled wont, ya meathead

Trader Joe's Employees hate him

macho, macho man

👨🏻‍🚒👮🏻‍♂️🤠

Young man

the muscle i pulled in my back is still a little twingey even after more than 2 mo. i think i'm gonna try to see an orthopedist :<

― goole, Monday, September 22, 2014 11:57 AM (three years ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

hey y'all, i've been whining about my squats for a while now and i'm going to keep whining!

the above injury is all cleared up, as far as anyone can tell. i got it MRI'd last summer and it revealed nothing out of the ordinary. it's basically a spot connecting my lower back to my outer buttcheek zone, to get technical. it's fine. sometimes it feels a little more tired than other spots after i run.

my DLs are fine. like, great actually. this past wkend i hit a PR, 270x3, with a backoff set of 255x3. i've been getting better at hook grip and my hands were the weak pt on that. back felt fine, and i'm looking fwd to 275.

but my squats are crap! and its' mostly mental at this point. i struggle to complete 5 at weights between 125-135, and haven't tried going above that for a long time. it's not the ascent but the descent; i just start freaking out under the bar. nothing feels comfortable and natural anymore. 'normal' feelings of fatigue in the shoulders or hams or calves, and my brain just goes haywire. or i can't get my breathing to feel right, or my back angle just feels wrong, it's always something. i get about halfway down and then, nope, i have to go back up.

it's really frustrating! like being able to do my bw as a warmup and reliably do 215 is a hazy memory. i've considered getting some coaching. maybe even just someone standing there watching is enough to break through, who knows.

keep in mind, i lift 2x/wk; do low bar 1x/wk -- i do some light front squats on DL day. so volume is way down.

what are the other magic ingredients? my diet and stress levels are fine. my sleep hygiene is pretty bad, i run 1-2x/wk so my recovery is probably not great. and, i'm 5 years older than when i started this!

is it something as simple as switching to 5x3? that's my next idea but man this is a bummer! i've been stuck in a demoralizing squat zone for a while now

I squat 2-3x a week now and that made a huge difference in my comfort and confidence with the lift. Maybe try to do more frequently at weights slightly below where you’re uncomfortable? Also how much are you warming up and how gradually are you building to your working weight? I’ve been starting with just the bar and then adding weight set by set. Now I jump to adding 50, then another 40, then another 20 each set until I get close, then 10 or 5 when I want to push my limit. But for a while I was going from the bar and then just adding 20 each set. The gradual build really helps my muscles adjust and my confidence.

how many miles and at what pace are you running

also why 2x/week

i build up as well

if i miss a day or stop for a few weeks i know my endurance suffers but it gets back up in a couple weeks

experiment with doing squats with no weights in the position you would be holding the barbell and see what feels natural/good; eg, how far apart you like your feet, where they're pointing (usu shld match direction knees are pointing to) and stick out your bum but pull in your pelvis (this can be a little tricky to do if you're not doing it already), bc this distributes the weight on your shoulders past your waist

if anything start from just the barbell w/o weights and work yr way up again, our bodies do weird things when it's not comfortable due to weights

also i used to run and it was affecting my squats a lot

your quads/hams are one of the biggest muscle group in your body, running uses a lot of your energy, so doing both often (weekly) will knock you out

if youre running to cut fat i wld suggest jump rope, but don't do it often and just watch yr diet

all ime and ymmv ofc

sleep is also a biggie, especially as you age! Just saw that buried in there. Sometimes I also find a little coffee before lifting helps. I might even just drink 1/4 cup if I'm lifting at night.

cof dehydrates u tho

i wld have a small bowl of fiber cereal (anything that helps you poop ftw!) some milk and a banana

amt shld be something yr comfortable with and not something that will make u throw it all up which prob depends on yr weight/body fat tbh

hi all, just the resident meathead here chiming in to brag about his 315 x 5 deadlifts, 245 x 5 squats and 245 x 5 bench. peace

Attaboy

thanks,
chad

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DYa19scVMAETDuY.jpg:large

Am starting weights for basically the first time in my life. I am mostly limited to an annoying all-in-one cable machine thingy and an incomplete set of dumbbells in the gym utility closet at work. Things have been going pretty well. Making incremental improvements over the last two months or so and avoiding injury.

I’m comin after you map.

It’s amazing how different standards are IRL at the average gym/ on here with normal non lying people vs in “lifter” forums where they will be like “lol your squat is nothing 2x body weight is the minimum to call yourself a man”

Even those “strength standards” websites where they say you are “stronger than x% of lifters” if you can lift y. I forget sometimes that that’s out of people who lift, not out of everyone.

Uh 245 x 5 bench is super impressive by any standard.

map that's nuts. your numbers, not the chad meme, but that is too really

just made the switch from machines to free weights and all I have to say is OWWWWW

i run 2x wk because... i like it? i mean not really, but i like the process of it, getting out in my neighborhood, time to listen to something uninterrupted, all that. i run outside even in winter -- with bouts of extreme cold, snow, ice, i've probably been going more like 1x/wk since december

sleep is probably my biggest problem. it's something i've been trying to address for a while, not very well, and my job has been uncooperative. i get probably 7 hours avg?

so yes i'm probably carrying a lot more fatigue, esp in my butt and legs, than i should be, into the workout.

i think my warmup progression is fine: x3 50%, x1 75%, x1 90%. which at those low weights is pretty much nothing.

there is something mental, about fearing for my low back, that magnifies all the (relatively minor) stresses of squatting. like i said, it's not completing the rep but committing to the descent where i'm failing. i've tried to rebuild confidence by resetting but it hasn't done the trick :/

i think rather than just doing squats only 1x a week, i'll put them in my B workout (i was doing some light fronts). just making the attempt more often is probably good.

When you say x3 do you mean three reps or three sets? Because if that's reps I think it's way too little of a warmup/build.

cof dehydrates u tho

i wld have a small bowl of fiber cereal (anything that helps you poop ftw!) some milk and a banana

amt shld be something yr comfortable with and not something that will make u throw it all up which prob depends on yr weight/body fat tbh

― F# A# (∞), Tuesday, March 20, 2018 6:07 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Cof is a diuretic. It increases how much you pee. I don't think half a cup or so right before a workout is going to dehydrate you to a significant degree.

right, i think like all things food/exercise, it depends on your age, body and your eating habits

many many years go i used to run a lot and i found it dehydrated me very fast (weather is an important factor as well), so anything would exacerbate it

while i actually love running, i haven't done it in years because i found it hindered most of my performance and gains, even when i was running twice a week. i spoke with a marathon runner turned sw0le bro a few years ago and he was in the same situation i was in but he told me to dramatically reduce my cardio and increase my weights and i would get better results, which it did

for the last few years or so i'll run a few miles maybe once every few months, but i do hike and do light forefoot jogs up mountains (one of my favourite things to do) every once in a while

cardio in general is not a priority for me, exactly because it affects my weight lifting, but i love that it makes my lungs/heart feel better and helps my breathing (similar to yoga)

tbc, btw, I was saying map's numbers are irl impressive. Whereas I have been on lifting forums where people act like that's nbd. Also the strength "standards" sites can be deceptive. For example, they put me at "novice" in bench for my bodyweight and say that I am "stronger than 40% of lifters" in my category. But that category is not all men, it's men who lift. So approaching even the middle of the pack for lifters feels like an achievement.

whatever you have to tell yourself breh..

Lol all I will reiterate is by any standard 245 x 5 bench is impressive (that’s probably a near 285 1RM). The other numbers are all good too, but I know very few lifters who regularly bench that amount and I’ve lifted for years now and am nowhere near nor do I have aspirations to that weight.

i run 2x wk because... i like it? i mean not really, but i like the process of it, getting out in my neighborhood, time to listen to something uninterrupted, all that. i run outside even in winter -- with bouts of extreme cold, snow, ice, i've probably been going more like 1x/wk since december

sleep is probably my biggest problem. it's something i've been trying to address for a while, not very well, and my job has been uncooperative. i get probably 7 hours avg?

so yes i'm probably carrying a lot more fatigue, esp in my butt and legs, than i should be, into the workout.

i think my warmup progression is fine: x3 50%, x1 75%, x1 90%. which at those low weights is pretty much nothing.

there is something mental, about fearing for my low back, that magnifies all the (relatively minor) stresses of squatting. like i said, it's not completing the rep but committing to the descent where i'm failing. i've tried to rebuild confidence by resetting but it hasn't done the trick :/

i think rather than just doing squats only 1x a week, i'll put them in my B workout (i was doing some light fronts). just making the attempt more often is probably good.

As somebody with recurring lower back issues, I (literally) feel your pain. I also run, and I also don't get enough sleep. I still don't see why if you're consistent in all of those things you shouldn't be able to make gains. I used to be wary of running/cardio while lifting, but I missed running and decided to prioritize it higher. I don't think doing this has hurt my ability to make gains with my squat, because I'm consistent. If I can finish my reps, and I can add weight to the lift as my program requires, then it can only be a good thing.

Without knowing any specifics about your lower back problems (or mine, actually, since neither doctor I've had since has never been able to solidly diagnose anything), I will just say that one thing I did to build back confidence after recovering from injury was doing paused-breathing squats as an assistance movement. Start with just the bar and work up to what you feel comfortable with. Drop down, keeping all of your muscles tense and flexed, and take ten or so deep breaths from the belly without losing your tightness. I still do a few of these while warming up to get myself in the zone mentally. I also personally favor a lighter higher-rep warmup. Even if it's with a 25 pound bar; more reps = more practice and I think it goes further to limber up than low rep heavy warmups do.

Lol all I will reiterate is by any standard 245 x 5 bench is impressive

https://imgur.com/a/azc9R

i'm done with my work thing and i actually slept last night so i'm ready to be back in the gymm and eating real foods. my knee is still kinda iffy. i'm just gonna work on chin-ups and butt stuff and benching for a while.

Just signed back up at the gym yesterday and did my first workout in like 8 months? It felt so good! I'm starting REALLY light (and i'm still fairly sore) but I'm really excited to be back. Also have a ton of protein powder and an unopened thingy of creatine that map told me to get. I just kinda dicked around with a few diff things yesterday but I also wanna develop a new workout routine and I'm excited abt that too, the gym is cool

i'm going much lighter on weights and trying to do more flexibility / leg stuff good for running, because i'm moving to MOAB in two weeks!

is protein powder etc worth it if you're not exactly going in with the big weights? I'm pretty much machines and dumbells and cardio for now but it would be nice to improve and get better

protein powder is good for helping you hit your daily protein target, especially if you are a moron like me and aim for the scientifically unsupported meathead standard 1g/lb. i have stockholm syndromed myself into enjoying a few flavors as well as the gritty undissolving creatine texture but i recommend assessing your goals and nutritional needs to see if it's necessary.

(fwiw i am 6'3" and 200 lbs and getting down 200g of protein a day is kind of a chore so putting a bunch of it in a shake and chugging it down really helps)

moab!

fair enough. i eat fairly healthily and have eggs every morning etc so probably don't need much more protein than I already get for now

protein powder is also really good if you want to shit a lot

oh yeah def wanna do that

then get some asap!

guys i know this is the sw0le thread but... creatine? really?

A lot of people swear by it. Science on it is... inconclusive but it’s not obviously harmful either.

protein powder is nice for hitting your target, esp when cutting calories

I consume a silly amount of whey protein products now. I really like the kirkland protein bars -- they are tasty and also have a lot of fiber. I also really like the premier protein drinks (available at costco). They come to a little over $1 per serving, which is pricier than protein powder, but they are good on the go. For a while I was using muscle milk brand protein powder, but it's gross on its own and adding it to "shakes" was packing on too many calories. Plus I'm pretty sure it made me smell bad. I just started using this super-organic Vega brand plant protein powder. Doesn't taste as weird and artificial and doesn't make me stink, but it's a little bit grainy and doesn't blend as well.

this is what i used when i did shakes
https://www.pinksun.co.uk/whey-protein-grass-fed-hormone-free

it was oddly hard to find one that was actually organic, hormone-free etc

I eat an RX bar post workout because they seem to not be filled with garbage and drink 16oz of whole milk cuz milk is great. Admittedly I’m not exactly going to appear on cover of Men’s Health but I make small but significant gains.

which Kirkland flavor is your favorite?

xp

i bought some of those kirkland bars, got sick of them, let them sit for a couple months. i tried to eat one last week and it was completely petrified.

creatine is cheap and may have some benefit so why not.

i do two scoops of myprotein brand "strawberry cream" in some unsweetened almond milk when i get home from the gym, along with a bowl of oatmeal. it's fine.

the real secret to any lifting success i have is boar's head brand turkey pepperoni and axelrod nonfat cottage cheese. together. alternating bites. it is my favorite meal of the day.