In general I’m an abstainer rather than a moderator.
But why don’t I drink even once or twice per year? Again, this will sound silly, but I have an irrational fear that I am genetically prone to alcoholism. That’s something I will probably never know. I don’t want to test it, even though I know something like that doesn’t happen overnight. I also like being in control, and even barely slipping from 100% consciousness doesn’t entice me. On a lighter note, drinking can be an expensive hobby, and I’m cheap.
Meh, expecting PRs for pressing with the level of work you’re doing, after a cut, is going to lead to disappointment, I’m afraid. Just get it next realization phase.
Pfft, being rational… you’re probably right, but I figured I would be able to do a little better after several weeks of eating lots of food and a few solid nights of sleep. I PR on press like twice a year though, so I should not fall into the trap of expecting good things anyway
If it makes you feel better, I took yesterday off because I thought I’d have a better shot at a rep PR on bench today. I got one fewer rep with 30lbs less weight than I did 8 days ago. Shit just doesn’t work sometimes, I’m willing to bet the eating lots of food approach will get you PRing press sooner rather than later. My only evidence is I eat a lot and am good at press.
I might need to be more aggressive with the eating. Dunno. I wouldn’t say I’m good at any lifts, but I’m definitely better at benching than pressing even though I care about the former the least.
Do you always allow yourself to be flexible with lifting days? In the past the idea of an 8 day rather than 7 day “week” has entered my mind, but I feel like I’m not that beat up/strong enough to warrant such an approach.
Yep, I try and keep it close to on schedule but I figure in the grand scheme of things what day I lift on doesn’t really matter. If I’m going to suck that day or if I’m too stressed (a not uncommon occurrence), I’ll push the schedule out a day or two. I started my first day of Juggernaut on a Saturday because the day of the week is entirely unimportant to me right now. I’ve only done 3 weeks and one day but I don’t think any of of the weeks are the same schedule and I started this week one day later than the previous three weeks.
@heretolog I think my main challenge is wanting to do half of my programming on the weekend to free up workdays. Maybe next semester my schedule can be more flexible to try it out.
@anna_5588 It’s mediocre to say the least, and when I’ve been not so terrible I did 57.5x10 or so. Still pretty bad.
And these lifts aren’t something I’ve hit for the first time earlier this year or something. When I say I hit a press PR twice a year, and that might even be a stretch, I’m not exaggerating. So yes, today is one day in the grand scheme of things, and it was probably more normal than negative. Though I try to be realistic about how slow progress is in reality, my “normal” is always disappointing.
That’s pretty reasonable, I’m largely the same way when workdays matter, I prefer lifting both weekend days and just figuring out what days during the week I have the combination or time and energy to make it to the gym.
Maybe you should try a different style of lifting just to give your body a different type of stimulus after this run with Juggernaut. You’ve been doing different versions of 5/3/1 for a significant amount of time, right? Juggernaut is different but not that different. If strength is the primary consideration maybe run something with higher intensity and lower volume. I know this would likely hurt your attempts to get out of the DYEL category (it looks like you lift, for the record) but I imagine it would probably kick your numbers up more quickly.
I don’t care about the numbers per se, but something tells me they shouldn’t stay the same for years the thing is I feel like being DYEL is what holds me back. I wouldn’t have much to peak on a higher intensity program if I wanted to inflate my numbers for a few weeks.
Ultimately it’s all paralysis by analysis in the grand scheme of things. Would be cool to be pleasantly surprised by the end of JM but won’t get my hopes up.
I’m not expecting big jumps in my 1rm, which is the only thing I really care about at the moment, except the press which I don’t really care about at all. I assume my deadlift will go up because I’m actually doing it and finding power from a sumo position, which is more natural for me.
I understand the paralysis though, mine just happens to be in the losing weight department. If I cut will I look small, will I lose strength, what’s even the point?
The difference between gaining good mass and losing bad mass in this case is pretty trivial, it’s just a matter of deciding what matters and doing it for a long enough time to make a difference. If you put on 10 lbs over 4 months while focusing on strength there is ~0% chance you wouldn’t get stronger. If I ate at a deficit for 4 months and lost 25lbs I’d look better and, if done reasonably likely wouldn’t lose a ton of muscle.
Maybe I need to read that stupid fucking article about bull testes
My take (and @T3hPwnisher may correct me here) is that the reason the press is a great exercise to vector your training towards is that it responds particularly well to upper body muscle mass. Definitely something that fits with my experiences.
@heretolog Funny because press is higher on the priority list for me. It can be hard to lose sight of the fact that intentionally moving the scale in either direction is a largely temporary process.
@dagill2 When I first started resistance training (4.5 ish years ago I think) I mostly dabbled in CrossFit and ate way too much food without enough pure lifting. I got to my heaviest, which was around 60 kg. A bad look. Then I cut down to 52 kg. Did a better weight gain phase the next winter to 58ish kg, a bit too quickly I think. I think I could have had better results if my sleep wasn’t so poor at this time. Nevertheless, I think my strength and physical appearance changed the most over this time period. They were noticeable after losing weight and also probably because I was even more of a newbie at that point.
Overall, I’ve spent the last few years mostly between 53.5-58 kg (118-128 pounds). Earlier this year when I was making some bench and deadlift PRs I pushed my weight up to 128.
For sure, I’ve read that blog post and agree, haha. Those anecdotes aside, I’ve always found pressing more fascinating than benching ever since I touched a barbell. In fact, the muscle mass theory you guys have applies to me as well, I think, but in the opposite way that I’ve probably mentioned here before. I think I’m much better at deadlifting and benching because they don’t necessitate as much muscle as, say, pressing and squatting.
the thing is I feel like being DYEL is what holds me back. I wouldn’t have much to peak on a higher intensity program if I wanted to inflate my numbers for a few weeks.