The Flame-Free Confession Thread

5’8 isn’t bad genetics bud. Maybe not the best for WSM . FYI I’m 5’ 9

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Same

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Just the friendly giant on stilts over here wishing he wasn’t 7ft

back pain ftw

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I’m trying to figure out why folks in this weight lifting community want to be tall. It has its advantages but putting big weights on the barbell isn’t one.

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When the world’s greatest deadlifter is 6’3, followed by a 6’8 and 6’9 Giant, one of which is also 4x WSM, I am inclined to feel otherwise.

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Giant being the key term on a couple of those fellas. I’m the skinny version. Anomalies aside, it’s more common for people closer to 6’ to be moving 3/4/5 plates with ease than it is for people in the 6’3"/6’4" and above range.

The members of this site and what I’ve seen at various gyms also seem to follow that.

I’m thinking of average gym folks, not pro’s of any sort. Elite people tend to skew everything.

I imagine anyone wishing they were taller explicitly for the purpose of wanting to lift more weight has no goals of being like the average person in the gym though, no?

I am 5’9. At my height, 195-200lbs is about where I top out for being big and lean. At that weight, I can lift so much weight. Were I 6’2, I could weigh more, which means more weight lifted.

You have to eat even more and fill out the frame, yeah, but when you have more height you have that potential. It is why, as weights have gotten heavier in WSM, competitors (and especially winners) have gotten taller.

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I’m also decent at deadlifting considering the shall amount of time I’ve invested in it.

So perhaps tall can make pushing a but difficult but help with pulling.

I’m also strictly talking about weight on the bar. My length can create leverage that shorter people can’t. I’m stronger than my gym numbers imply (at least I hope I am).

It’d be fun to play around with the tools that measure force to figure out exactly how different heights and leverages compare.

Me too. Have you seen Thor’s recent squat videos?

Weight moves weight, and height can allow for some pretty crazy weight.

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I’m very familiar with Lee’s work! Before his injury he was moving my PR goal weights for reps so I know it’s possible to get bigger numbers. He was also 260 so @T3hPwnisher is correct.

The sad truth is that there is a bit of ego in all of us. Everyone has their “standards” to be considered strong in the gym and those don’t consider any variables. I’d like to reach those standards but it’s tough. My ego wants to reach those arbitrary numbers. Sadly, there are high school sophomores who have already outdone me on bench and squat.

I’m pretty sure @bulldog9899’s son was repping my current squat max a few weeks ago :smile:

Recent conversations with several people all seem to be pointing in the same direction ---- gain weight!

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For sheer static strength, this is one of the greatest things you can do, but it of course comes with those sacrifices.

Some of the strongest lifters ever that were my height were Kroc and Paul Anderson. Paul was a chubby low 300lbs and Kroc was a lean 242er who bulked up to a chunky 275+ to get there. I’m WAY off, haha. But it shows just how much weight needs to be packed onto a frame to really push, and then you think about how Eddie Hall was 400lbs at around 6’3 and it really puts things in perspective.

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In the past few years I’ve seen a few power lifters retire and pursue bodybuilding (not necessarily competitively) and they turn out to be monsters even at the lower body fat levels. I think they’re bigger than guys who pursued bodybuilding for the same amount of time that those guys were power lifting.

It seems that getting very strong while being very large results in more muscle than the pursuit of muscle alone. Unfortunately, part of that process involves being quite fat for many years. I’m too old to start that journey so I’ll have to settle for a more conservative approach.

I regret reading The Abs Diet in 2006. I was 240 and cut to 225 lbs. I fell in love with my abs and it’s probably the reason I haven’t grown much. It’s going to be tough to let go a little bit but I’d like to get back to that weight again. My diet was a but more enjoyable back then too. :pizza: :ice_cream:

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On saturday, my right bicep felt a bit twitchy after training.

I then happened to watch a video of someone rupturing a bicep tendon plus read a post on here about bicep tears.

After then visualising this happening to myself - I’ve twice post-poned my deadlift session.

If my better-half ever found out I was this superstitious, I wouldn’t hear the end of it haha

It is badass. I do my own mostly. My wife seems to think I need to get it “professionally” done at least once every 6 months. EVERY damn time I end up having to touch it up afterwards. I’m not as fast, but it comes out better. And no, no pics.

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How long have you cut your own hair for? Do you just use clippers?

About the last 8 years or so. But that included a couple of stints of growing it out for Locks of Love (before it went too grey). I use a combination of clippers and scissors. #8 up the back, #3 (or #2 if I’m feeling ambitious) put the sides, then scissor cut 1-1/2" (or so) on top, blended. The hard part is getting the the nape straight. I have to rely on my wife sometimes to touch that up. That’s likely the biggest issue with her – she doesn’t like doing it.

I also cut her hair. But those are easy cuts.

Is that some sort of Mohawk? That seems pretty long at the back. Also just generally a tough haircut to do yourself.

Not a mohawk, exactly. Think of it as more of a flat top, but the top lays down. Not an abrupt transition between the lengths. The #8 up the back really isn’t all that long (1").

True, but still a good amount longer than a 2 or 3. How long did it take to figure out blending/fading?