Here are this week’s highlights
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Had a kind of clean refeed day - went over to about 3300 calories BUT stayed at my fat limit, the extra is mostly carbs. This wasn’t planned. We went to our wedding venue today to go through arrangements and they gave us lunch. The venue is actually a health retreat, and when it isn’t doing special functions all the food is vegetarian. So, vego lunch - and I figured I wouldn’t bother counting it. Except I at a ton, so I counted the rice, chickpeas and damper which didn’t take me to my limit but close, leaving me low on protein. When we got home we were too tired to want to cook, so just got a ready roast chook and a loaf of sourdough. I ended up having a chicken, avocado and ajvar sandwich and a pb&j sandwich.
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It’s interesting to see the effect the gear has on the raw stuff. It may just be that your new clothes fit less baggy, but to me it looks like your chest is Up more. Like you have more upper back arch when benching, and your position is more upright squatting. It also looks like sitting back and spreading the knees a little eliminates some front to back motion from your squat, like your hips stay under the bar the whole time.
More great work.
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@littlesleeper thanks. I think you’re right in that the gear definitely helped me tweak my positioning. The feedback it gives really makes you aware of where your body should be set and where it should move.
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Woke at 192.7 lbs but looking pretty good. A mate lent me his formal Bowtie yesterday, so I wore it for a bit while making breakfast. Chest and shoulders definitely enjoyed it. I’ll try doing that daily for a week and see what happens.
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Just ordered some Surge. I’ve been trialling an equivalent that rhymes with discovery tractor by a company that rhymes with planet - and while it’s decent and available in Australia it’s not as good as Plazma (no surprise there). Surge comes out at almost exactly the same price as what I’d trialled, so I’ll see how that works. I’m guessing better. I know it’ll be at least as good as, so that’ll be what I use going forward.
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Dude where do you get your biotest stuff from? I didn’t think they shipped to aus?
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Also you’re looking lean brother! Getting those poses down
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This, but I am just worried he is going to like it too much and we will lose another one to geared lifting 
I have a feeling this is not the stuff you are talking about…?
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I’m pretty sure they do ship out here, but I’ve got a US postal address through Australia Post.
Nope, not that. The Biotest Surge.
Don’t worry, I don’t see myself ever not doing at least some raw stuff.
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Woke at 194 lbs, which does kind of freak me out but looking OK. Not as tight as yesterday, sure, but haven’t lost anything either. Looking quite full too. I’m putting it down to the bunch of sourdough I ate yesterday - because I stayed in budget, and macro split was on target too.
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Today’s training
Lazy lifter
Cuffs on
Equipped DL, sumo, stiff bar
TM is 462 lbs
Work up from 132 lbs in 44 lbs x3-5 to 60% raw, varying grip five pull-ups between sets
2x319 lbs, briefs, under 6 RPE - first rep overhand, second hook. Grip off today
1x368 lbs, briefs and suit straps down, under 6 RPE, hook
1x412 lbs, briefs and suit straps up, under 6 RPE, hook
9x462 lbs, briefs and suit straps up, 9 RPE - had a funny dialogue in my head I was only really a spectator to the last three or so reps, with one side saying I couldn’t get it and one that I would. It was weird. Also left me sucking wind.
One thing I do like about gear is the feeling of pressure you get in your head.
Conventional DL off 2.5 inch deficit, beltless, briefs, straps with very short rests
3x3x319 lbs, all under 6 RPE - they felt really easy
Low-ish box squats, same height as last week, briefs, belt, short rests
5x5x319 lbs, under 6, 6, 6-7, 7 and 7 RPE
Focused in pushing knees out and kind of pushing against the briefs on the descent and coming off the box as hard and fast as possible (which didn’t really click until the last set).
Another thing I like about gear a LOT is the feedback it gives you.
Reverse hyper 3x25x242 lbs, short rests - slowly learning how to contract my lower back, which is cool
Abs/shoulders
Standing cable crunches 3x15x100 lbs
Kb rope upright rows 3x15x46 lbs
Last two sets rest/pause, last set of cable crunches pretty much failure. My abs simply stopped being able to contract fully.
Good session. Done in two hours. Look like I’ve been punched, plenty of burst capillaries around both eyes.
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Oh, before I forget. Right elbow was complaining a bit during training but not like it used to when my elbows were hurt. More in the pointy bit, and I suspect it’s referred tension/pain from tightness in my upper back. I can feel almost like a string of tweak going from my lower traps into that elbow.
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Woke at 193.2 lbs, looking OK.
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Today’s training
Lazy lifter plus shoulders
Bench press
TM is 231 lbs
Work up from bar in 22 lbs x3-5 to 60%, 20 pull aparts between sets
3x159 lbs, under 6 RPE - light touch seems to be the way to go to maximise tension
3x187 lbs, under 6 RPE
1x209 lbs, under 6 RPE
Shirt goes on
Glen helped me with handouts and equipped tips. Turns out I don’t need to change what I do with my elbows from raw, but I need to fix my unrack - which I now know how to do.
1x231 lbs, under 6 RPE
1x253 lbs, under 6 RPE
4x1x275 lbs, 6 RPE across - last one moved my grip out to pinkie on ring at Glen’s suggestion. It helps.
3x275 lbs, 10 RPE - FFS Glen don’t grab the fucking bar just because it looks like I’m in trouble, let me struggle!
Lots to work on
Cuffs on, but precautionary more than anything as elbows feeling pretty OK.
Military press supersetted with strict BB rows
Press 3x7x132 lbs, 8, 8 and 8-9 RPE then 2x5x132 lbs, 7 and 8 RPE
Rows 4x8x176 lbs, 1x10x176 lbs
I like this combination very much. Managed to keep rows nice and strict too.
Rope lat pulldowns
3x12x88 lbs, short rests - getting better at feeling these in my lats
Bis/tris giant set
Sixty pound BB in use, so
Seated DB curls, 3x10x30 lbs
DB tricep rollouts 3x8x30 lbs
OK, so rollouts are amazing. Also, 30 pounds is probably too heavy but what a pump!
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Nice work mark, did your mate grabbing the bar put you off your grove !?
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that is the most annoying thing in the world when people do that.
Unless that shit starts coming back down then keep your grubby mitts off it.
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Reminds me of this video:
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