Seems strange to train and gain muscle but lament the loss of other attributes. Yes I hit 3 plates but my agility ,running power and running stamina have all taken a major hit. Thatās why I said and it may seem contrary to basic weight training fundamentals which is about gaining size ,that your ability to stay lean and still hit a good bench naturally is to be commended
I didnāt lose anything when I was specializing in bench and I havenāt lamented anything since either. Not sure how you assumed that, tbh.
I see we get lost in translation bud,I was meaning me,I come from a place where we speak somewhat of a dialect of English,itās not quite American or British english
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Oh ok, itās all good. No hard feelings!
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Iāll get started on the T-shirts.
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12/31/25 - Squat 1RM
Squat - 325 x 1
Summary
I had a little bit of time today and I really wanted to get my squat max on camera today so I warmed up and knocked it out. Considering how much Iāve been at work this week and how weird my sleep schedule has been I felt decently ok. Maybe I just had the nagging thought on the line that I need to be able to squat more than I can bench haha. XD
After looking back at the footage I realized at the bottom that Iām just above parallel. I wish I had a side angle to compare since head-on wearing black shorts isnāt the easiest to look at later to figure out exactly how deep Iām going but Iāll definitely admit itās a smidge above parallel. So my weakness there is the bottom, which means Iāll probably do a bunch of pause squats and pin squats in the near future to hopefully build that up. I also have a set of squat wedges coming soon which might help with being easier to hit full depth, weāll see. Iāll probably start throwing them on everything I can to see if that does anything.
The rest of leg day (minus the max effort squat) will be coming later this week, I really just wanted to get all this out now tbh.
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Ladies and gentlemen, itās time for the T-ransformation! Super stoked to be participating this year. 
Iām currently not preferring to cut at this point (maybe next year? 
) but what I want to do this year is to specialize for the next five months in gaining strength across three of my main lifts: weighted pull ups, conventional deadlift, and conventional squat. After running a 14-month bench specialization phase which took my max from 225x1 to 315x1 as of a couple weeks ago, Iām shifting my goals to build strength in other lifts to stay well rounded and focus more on some of my weaker areas as well. I honestly donāt really care about my physique looks like for this challenge as long as I donāt get too fluffy. Iāve been on a slow rolling bulk/maintain phase for a while now and am currently averaging 168 lbs., slowly getting up to this point from averaging 143 or so in 2022. So my abs have left the chat for a while now but I want to spend 2026 adding a bit more size and pushing up my strength before I entertain the idea of a cutā¦Iāll be happy at the end of the challenge and this next year if Iām not that much smaller or leaner than now in order to gain strength and muscle mass.
Starting physique picture taken this morning under mid lighting, relaxed with no pump (included because of the ānear-mandatoryā phrasing in the rules. 
):
Now, on to what Iām actually focusing on during the T-ransformationā¦
Starting 1RMs:
Weighted Pull Up: 110 x 1 my lifetime PR is 125 x 1 but Iām slightly heavier now and havenāt maxed out for a bit, full disclosure.
Conventional Deadlift: 385 x 1
Squat: 325 x 1
Vids:
Weighted Pull Up:
Conventional Deadlift:
Squat:
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Great weighted pull up,very strong. Hey thatās not a conventional deadlift sir,and I suppose just to look like a real prick because this is your house not mine,i wouldnāt of passed that squat. I am an ex powerlifter who competed in a fed where seemingly you had to rock bottom your squats to pass and thatās not right either. But keep at it gj. I still canāt figure out how someone of that size benches so god damn much. That pull-ups an indication your upper back is rock solid. You must have steel tendons in your wrists and forearms
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Please explain your reasoning behind this, I would be very interested to know.
Itās not off the ground,thatās a block pull and itās easier,unless your stock standard around the universe.. sized plates miraculously have a smaller diameter. Also and I know this isnāt acceptable to many here,and some are stronger but below a certain weightā¦straps? Bear in mind Iām hypocritical I havenāt pulled in 7-8 months
Whatās the ācertain weightā that you can start to use straps with? And does that certain weight change with bodyweight, proximity to an individualās 1RM, and training experience or is it an arbitrary standard or opinion?
Iām not answering,that was kinda the wrong thing for me to say and I can tell from your tone ur not happy. No itās not a proper deadlift. Straps off,from the ground. If your hitching with straps 100 kgs more than me then it gets difficult for me to say anything. Until then. Ima purist. My puritanical gets me in trouble.right?
Nice work.
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Not exactlyā¦thatās not really accurate to describe my mood right now.
I prefer to ask questions to make sure I understand what is going on before I rush to judgement and make a response filled with assumptions. And because I usually learn stuff along the way, which is a nice bonus sometimes.
I didnāt think it was textbook form, either [see below]ābut itās a starting point for the T-ransformation. And itās also the first time to my memory Iāve ever done a true max on barbell squats, so being weak in the bottom and not knowing itās hard for me to hit depth on maximal weights is new information to me tbf.
I guess we can both agree now that Iām not enhanced, at least.
This being mentioned is kind of funny to me since I knew when I posted that video that I was bound to get a comment on this lol.
I agree with you in terms of technicality. If weāre being precise, sure itās a six inch block pull. But also those arenāt specifically blocks, I lift from crash pads specifically because if I lift from the true floor I will very likely damage it. So for me, itās either use crash pads to protect the floor and standardize the range of motion, or not to deadlift at all at intensity. I choose the former optionā¦and isnāt the carryover between a block pull and a true from the floor deadlift similar enough? Even if itās not 1:1, if I add weight on my crash pad block pull wonāt my true from the floor max go up as well? This makes this issue completely irrelevant to me for the purposes of the T-ransformation and honestly in general. So what? Itās still heavy. Also, before getting my crash pads this fall (post quoted for ease of seeing the timestamp)
I barely deadlifted at all, and pretty much not at near-max weights. So for both squats and deads getting better at lifts Iām not good at and have less experience with is part of this process for me in the first half of this year.
Why not use straps? Iām at maximal weight. Itās heavy for me, so why not use straps? I donāt think straps makes it any more proper or not as far as the lift goes since Iām not competing anytime soon.
And if we are tempted to say next that me using straps keeps me from developing my grip strength, I will preemptively share that my 110x1 pull up shown above on video and my lifetime PR pull up and chin up (125x1 and 140x1, respectively) were all accomplished without any straps.
Not quite 200kg more, but I would venture to say that itās not bad considering in context my weight, training strengths and history, and amount of experience with this lift so far.
Thank you! Iāve been doing pull ups for over five years now and itās still a staple for me. One of the greatest single exercises of all time IMO.
Thank you, thatās a big complement and I really appreciate you taking the effort to comment on not only my pull up but also my bench. (Itās pretty clear based on my numbers what Iāve specialized in recently haha.) Hereās what worked for me on bench:
- Rotate max effort variations every push day, this is a non negotiable especially when training bench frequently.
- Figure out weak/sticking points and specifically choose those variations that build strength. For me, I was weak at 90 degrees and at the lockout (weak triceps) so I used a lot of accommodating resistance (chains), board press, floor press, reverse grip, close grip, etc. I generally didnāt rotate in things like cambered bars, pause bench, etc. as often.
- Build strength in key areas. For me, triceps. I did a lot for my triceps and tried to prioritize variations that addressed my weaknesses (I really liked incline pushdowns since theyāre hardest at the lockout, for example).
- General push day template for bench: first exercise is bench variation of the day. Ramp up to max effort single (no more than three top end attempts) followed by two working sets of 8-12 at about 80% 1RM (3 sets of 10 at 70% or 2 sets of 4-6 reps will also probably work if you need more variety, especially if you plateau hard. Use double progression on the working sets and be patient.
@bulldog9899 thank you, I appreciate it!
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I agree with your formula of rotating max variations,trouble is Iām limited by my equipment which consists and perhaps subsists of an adjustable incline bench and a rack. Itās not optimal in terms of increasing my flat like your method but hey my inclines gone up. Trouble is noone cares universally about incline,only flat.
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You still have a bunch of variations availableā¦
- flat bench
- close grip bench
- Larson press
- Incline bench
- Pause bench
- Reverse grip bench
- Floor Press
- combinations ā reverse grip floor press, pause Larson press, etc.
- Also for like ten bucks on Amazon you can get a foam block made for board presses
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Missed posting this a while back due to feeling awful, but that bench is super impressive, particularly seeing it Vs BW youāre a unit (even if your a phony deadlifter ).
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When I watched your deads I saw this and thought, good thing heās got those pads. I bet he would break his floor otherwise. 
Anywho. Iām excited to see what you do this year.
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Like the work im seeing on here.
i didnāt realize your actually younger than my youngest son.
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Dammit I donāt know how to quote to make it easier to follow but naw I didnāt mean it like that. Fair effort and at least he provides vids
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