Alex_uk: 40 years in the making

[EmilyQ]

Great shift in mindset, and an issue I think most of us struggle with. We make up these rules and then get mad about them, as if someone else has imposed them on us, haha.

An analogy to programming would be that a child picks a coloring sheet out of a vast pile of different ones, and then has to color within the lines of, say, a snake picture - but they long to feel wild and free with the crayon. There are elephant pictures right there - they could pick one of those instead, or even blank sheets that they could fill with color, but they keep grimly working on the snake.

Which, thinking about it, speaks to a child who is internally driven to finish what he starts - which is most of us here, too, hence the high level of success shown by active posters, in multiple realms.

Grab an elephant and have fun!

[TrainForPain]

That was very poetic

[BethB]

I like reading your log. Particularly when you are working things out in your head. It helps me to clear my head and gain perspective as well. It’s different to have someone talk about how they are struggling and what they plan to do to fix/ work around it than to have someone give you advice. Thanks for that.

[EmilyQ]

Agree! It’s always really good food for thought. Like, why did I argue in my log that 2 miles wasn’t fantastic, when I posted with great joy that I’d done it. But then felt that I had to report it as a semi-failure because of some self-imposed rule that I should only be proud of 5+ miles.

What a bunch of weirdos we are. I’m so glad I have all of you, pondering things in my computer.

[alex_uk]

Will reply to the great comments later.

27/11/25

Lifting what I want when I want (LWIWWIW -! Catchy program name)

Bench: 60, 80kg x 5, 90kg x 3, 100, 110kg x 1, 120kg x 3, 100kg x 13 (might be a rep pr - had a slight form epiphany).

Squats: 60kg x 5, 80, 100kg x 3, 120, 140kg x 1, 160kg x 2, 120kg x 9

That’s it. Not sure any more would have been done but short on time - ended up spending a couple hours going for a short swim and doing battle with an angry ram (water rescue for a naughty ram!), the random things you do as a firefighter that you never thought you’d do - I rescue more animals than people these days. Upside though had my first taco bell (on the drive back from ram rescue), was good, but robbery on the meat to rice ratio in the burrito.

Bench: pleased with that, probably could have squeezed a rep or two more out at 120kg, but my lower back started cramping, because of this on the 100kg back off set I couldn’t brace the way I normally would, but it meant I held the brace in my ab and glutes and actually the glute activation was the little epiphany, felt so much better on my back, and locked me in lower body wise, if I can really get a solid ab and upper back stability going on I think I can push quite a bit further on bench. Probably a rep PR at 2 plates, but I’m not sure, and not fussed enough to dig back through for it.

Squats: 160kg wasn’t too bad, probably had another rep in there, but my groin was buggy, the 120kg was pretty easy but my lower back felt done by rep 9, so didn’t push it.

[T3hPwnisher]

@alex_uk

Lifting what I want when I want (LWIWWIW -! Catchy program name)

I also called this “playing the game the way I want to play it”.

Dude, it’s so awesome you freed yourself. This took me a LONG time to realize. This will open up a LOT of bandwidth. I am excited for you.

[OyAmPipMayo]

Welcome to the wonderful world of Taco Bell. First mistake - ordering anything with rice in it. Stick to the basics - tacos, burrito supremes - and get double meat. It’s worth the extra money when you are slumming it.

[simo74]

@alex_uk

I’ve been flat out busy, I’m worn out and fairly stressed, with a lot of personal stuff going on,

Shall we start a club stay strong mate

[T3hPwnisher]

Oh my goodness, HOW did I miss the Taco Bell comment? Dude, if you ever need someone to be your spirit guide on your vision quest through the Bell, hit me up. I have an encyclopedic knowledge of it’s menu, and grew up about an hour from it’s HQ. Along with the advice from @OyAmPipMayo to avoid the rice, I’ll say lean into the nachos, and look for something called the “Cheesy Gordita Crunch”.

[KonsuTheTraveller]

Grilled Cheese Steak Burrito

[EmilyQ]

Stop the crazy talk. Burrito Supreme is the correct choice. Period!

[OyAmPipMayo]

Modify with extra beef and you are correct.

The Enchirito is the OG as it was the first premium item added to the basic menu of tacos, tostadas, pintos n’cheese, burritos, and the Bell Beefer. I have been hounding TB for years to bring it back.

[alex_uk]

@EmilyQ

We make up these rules and then get mad about them, as if someone else has imposed them on us, haha.

Absolutely - I think for me it was a fear of not finishing, not completing what I set out to do, I find it a particularly unattractive quality in others so strive to ensure that it’s not something I myself am guilty of. I don’t want to build habits of falling short.

@EmilyQ

There are elephant pictures right there - they could pick one of those instead, or even blank sheets that they could fill with color, but they keep grimly working on the snake

I think this is where I need to adjust my mindset, not finishing a program I am not gelling with, is not building a habit of failing, it’s simply succeeding somewhere else.

@BethB

Thanks for that

It’s only because of other posters that it works, so thank you (everyone).

@EmilyQ

What a bunch of weirdos we are.

Agreed.

@T3hPwnisher

This will open up a LOT of bandwidth.

That’s the hope, I’d like to think that the freedom actually encourages more training (it did last time I did this).

@OyAmPipMayo

Welcome to the wonderful world of Taco Bell. First mistake - ordering anything with rice in it.

I just got a regular burrito - I didn’t realise it came with rice. Next time!

@OyAmPipMayo

get double meat.

A wise move.

As to the arguing about the different menu options between @T3hPwnisher @KonsuTheTraveller @EmilyQ @OyAmPipMayo - I may just have to try one of each and come to a verdict!

@simo74

Shall we start a club

I would, but I’d have to give apologies every week - too busy!

[alex_uk]

01/12/25 - 203lbs

LWIWWIW

Deads: 60, 100kg x 5, 140kg x 3, 160kg x 1, 180kg x 4, 140kg x 12

Deadlifts 180kg x 4

Deadlifts 140kg x 12

Holy glute & ham cramp batman.

Weighted chins: 20kg x 3 x 3 sets (done EMOM but elbow got cranky so called it).

GHR: 8 x 3 sets

DB curls 5kg x 50

Pretty sure that’s a PR on the deads. Still never pulled above 180kg for conventional deads. Think it’s safe to say I could pull above that, the back off pumped my glutes and hams and by the end my lats felt like they were going to pop as well! Good times. Took me a fair while to recover afterwards though.

The chins weren’t so great today, wanted more but decided against it. Threw in 50 reps on light DBs as per @Andrewgen_Receptors suggestion a while back on elbow rehab (also @T3hPwnisher had suggested poundstones a long time ago similar principle I’d guess). That many reps of anything is just nasty.

[Cyrrex]

Actually looked like you mighta had one or more left in you, nice PR!

[Friedrich]

@OyAmPipMayo

Stick to the basics - tacos, burrito supremes - and get double meat.

I wish for the Enchirito to return. The Taco Bell in Trukee made one for me a few years back.

[OyAmPipMayo]

There’s one in California that used to make them for me - they have all of the ingredients (except the olives from way back), but it seems nobody working these days knows what it is. I wonder if I could go all secret menu like and get a combo burrito wet with cheese on top.

They used to have an alternative green sauce as well. The Enchirito with both sauces was great on several levels. They usually entered it wrong and forgot the red sauce, so when you told them, they just put the red on top and you ended up with more sauce.

Magical.

[KonsuTheTraveller]

@alex_uk

Pretty sure that’s a PR on the deads.

very nice

[T3hPwnisher]

Alex, since you have “uk” in your handle, you’re officially the ambassador of your nation, but I’ll tag in fellow brits @dagill2 and @simo74 (I know we have some others too) to help me understand…

Who hurt you?

Because my family is looking to come explore your kingdom come Sep of 2026, and we fancy ourselves culinarily adventurous, so I googled “iconic british” foods…and this is what I got

This…this isn’t food. This is the Bingo card Satan uses in the circle of hell where they punish gluttons. Ok, yeah, I can get on board with Fish and Chips, and I’d be adventrous with the English breakfast…but jellied eels? Steak and kidney pie? What did you make so many pies with organs in them? And why does a Jam roly-poly sound so wonderful until I look it up and it’s also known as a “dead man’s leg/arm” and filled with SUET and jam?!

To try to be less ethnic centric, I did the same thing with American foods.

And like, ok, fair shout: biscuits and gravy sounds weird (especially since what you call biscuits we call cookies), and last time this list had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on it, which I’ve heard is weird to everyone else, and chicken and waffles sound bizarre…but I don’t feel like anything on here would be on an episode of fear factor.

But am I wrong, and do you see this American list the same?

Semi-related: are oat-cakes a thing, or did Eddie Hall just make them up?

[BethB]

Is that Sleep Token playing?

@T3hPwnisher

This…this isn’t food. This is the Bingo card Satan uses in the circle of hell where they punish gluttons.

I am shocked that you of all people would be so judgy about food.

@alex_uk

Pretty sure that’s a PR on the deads.

Solid work.