What knee sleeves did you get? I keep having a bit of pain just in my left knee after squatting. Considering getting knee sleeves as well
Umā¦ I think they are a conditioning tool.
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I went on Amazon and got the cheapest ones that looked like they were designed for lifters. Theyāre called Bear Grips and they worked for what I wanted them for. To be honest, if you really want an in depth review of knee sleeves, the big strong power lifters are the people to talk to. I know so little about gear its comical. I donāt even use a belt yet.
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They certainly feel like one. Dan John says theyāre the dogs danglies for getting bigger though so Iāll take his word for it. My thoughts at the minute are that they are there to condition you for the high rep squats though.
Get cheap ones at first. If all you want is some warmth, cheap is cheerful. If you want support too youāll need to pay a little more.
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Thanks man. Cheap ones it is.
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Hey Dagill
Do you have a target weight, I see youāre trying to gain weight.
I suppose you do track calories so thereās just one thing to doā¦ Eat more.
Btw to you rest between the complex rounds? I really dislike complexes leaves me totally out of breath.
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I rest āas neededā between complexes, which depends entirely on motivation to be honest.
My āgoal weightā, long term is probably about 180-185lbs. Short term though, Iād like to finish this āmass buildingā phase somewhere between 195-200lbs. That makes this phase more of a recomp than mass building I guess.
But you where at 198 lbs a couple of days ago? so youāve reached your goal weight. Does this mean that youāre trying to stay at this weight, lose a bit of fat and gain a bit of muscles?
Thatās about where Iām at, at the moment.
those 50 rep squats sounds disgusting btw
Thatās exactly the plan, yes. Iām trying not to be too religious about it and just focus on getting the habits right, but yes.
I train Sun/Tues every week, plus optional conditioning or isolation work on Thurs/Fri. I eat comfortably over maintenance Sun- Wed and balance that by eating under maintenance Thurs-Sat. High carb on high calorie days, low(er) carb on low calories days.
My first āto fiftyā is tonight. I donāt expect myself to do it in one set today, but weāll see how it goes.
Also: I just finished writing out 16 weeks of sensible training plans. Based on Matt Krocs deadlift and bench progressions, with squat progression taken from the periodisation bible (I thought Krocs squat progression looked too intense for my purposes). Assistance hashed out vaguely, but in no detail. Should aim for PRs on all 4 lifts spread across weeks 16-18. From the vantage point of halfway through MMS, months of sensible training in sensible rep ranges sounds awesome.
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Hi there, getting back in here. Complexes look brutal lol.
The more and more time passes and I agree with Greg Doucette, Thibaudeau or Meadows, and that you should stop with the bulking. I want to try that. Go a weight, a leanness level that I like, and sloooowly, over many months, gain muscle. Honestly bulking just makes me going into a spiral of too much eating and bad food. I canāt do it
I donāt know about Greg and Meadows, but I read a lot of CTs writings.
How much weight are you putting on each week?
@aldebaran @Voxel bulking and cutting is a poor mindset for me because moderation is not one of my strengths. Iām hoping to focus on good habits and good planning this year.
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Work for today:
Press:
5 x 40kg
5 x 50kg
5 x 55kg
Arnold press:
6 x 10
Deadlift:
5 x 5 @ 120kg
Complexes:
5 rows
5 powercleans
5 front squats
5 push presses
5 back squats
5 rounds @ 50kg
Squat:
30 x 60kg
20 x 60kg
Notes:
- This was a bit of a perfect storm in terms of volume. 5 x 5 day on deadlifts, coinciding with 5 x 5 day on complexes and the first āto fiftyā session. Not a fun coincidence.
- Squats sucked
- 5/14 done.
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Complexes are unpleasant, but ok. The squats are the real butt kickers to be honest.
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For me, it seems to be cutting or eating like as ass. I really struggle with the in between. The Committed Challenge was the start of me trying to figure out how to eat without tracking. Iām still trying to get my hunger and cravings to behave and not take me overboard.
What are your long term and short term goals for your training?
@Frank_C Iām trying to head that way myself, albeit with less lofty physique goals than you. Set a solid eating pattern that I can continue with forever with a little variety here and there because I either need to or want to do.
@tlgains thatās a tricky one to answer. I started training again because I didnāt want to be a fat fook anymore. Iām kind of past that phase now so now I lift/train for many reasons:
- Mental health
- Physical health
- Set a good example for my kids and family
- I remember what looking good feels like
- I need a hobby thatās just mine
Probably the biggest reason, the one that actually makes me keep going more often than not, is that I want to beat my old numbers.
If weāre going to talk SMART goals, I want to:
- Complete MMS, ideally by doing all 50 reps in the final session in one set.
- By 35 (september 2021), I would like to have done 5/4/3/2 plates with visible abs. That would be pretty awesome, but certainly a challenge.
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Iām beginning to wonder if my physique and lifting goals are mutually exclusive. I know I was 240 lbs when i pulled 545 in 2018ā¦
Ok, just looked back. I was 220 when I first pulled 495. It was slower than my 545 pull but that gives me hope. 500 can be done at my current weight.
It definitely can be done. Iāve done it.
For what little my experience is worth, my deadlift has always been the lift least affected by weight changes.
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