medman

http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/ If you're not tired and aren't getting stronger, the weight isn't high enough. Deadlifts shouldn't be something you could do and then do backflips afterward...when you're done with them, you should be tired!! To give you an idea of weight you can be using on these, after 3 months of stronglifts I'm deadlifting 225 at a bodyweight of 136. Hopefully I'll be at 2X bodyweight before long.

Sorry to hear about your injury. Consider this as a bonus though - if these frustrating few weeks help build up some internal rage, you can unleash that rage in the gym and turn it into rock hard muscle I'm actually being kinda serious. My brother had a messy breakup last summer and put on like 30 lbs of muscle in 2-3 months, just because the rage gave him the motivation/energy to power through harder workouts than he had ever done before.

Unfortunately, I was thinking more along the lines of http://www.walmart.ca/servletimagedownload?size=1&imageid=84163

I believe you may be comparing tofu to dry grains which soak up a LOT of water when cooked. There's no way 1/2 a cup of cooked quinoa is 318 calories...dry, yes. But half a cup of dry quinoa makes like a cup and a half of cooked quinoa due to how much water it absorbs. Same goes for stuff like oatmeal. Yes, half a cup (before it's cooked) is 150 calories, but after it's cooked, it takes up a LOT more volume than that, and so comparing it to half a cup of tofu doesn't make much sense, because that bowl of oatmeal that started out as a half cup dry is a whole lot more filling than that half cup of tofu...

There are many generic brands available too, and there are also chewable calcium tablets available from the likes of Jamieson that don't have artificial colours or preservatives.

I agree, which is why I said the vinegar test wasn't empirical, it just kinda "has the right idea" or something along those lines. Gastric juice is a bit lower pH, and the mechanical agitation from the stomach would definitely also help. I don't see why this is such a huge issue though, when so many inexpensive chewable calcium tablets are out there. Chew TUMS or a generic version, and skip worrying about the whole dissolving issue IMHO.

Hmm...what can 2 more months of Stronglifts do? How about 9 pounds of bodyweight, 90 lbs on my deadlift, 60 lbs on my squat, 15 lbs on my bench, and 15 lbs on my overhead press? Or how about doing dips with a 35 lb plate on the belt for the same reps as I was doing at bodyweight? Here are the photos to go along with those strength gains... 2 months ago (127 lbs) vs now (136 lbs) http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-03-04at23152.jpg vs http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-05-01at1528.jpg http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-03-04at23162.jpg vs http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-05-01at15302.jpg http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-03-04at2317.jpg vs http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-05-01at15312.jpg http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-03-04at2312.jpg vs http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-05-01at1535.jpg http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-03-04at23142.jpg vs http://i346.photobucket.com/albums/p437/mbene085/StrongLifts/Photoon2010-05-01at1526.jpg I can really tell how much my core muscles/back muscles have hypertrophied from all these squats, deads, presses and rows! And my arms have developed far more than I was expecting given the relative lack of focus the program has on them. My neck and traps are definitely coming along as well.

Hmm, screen caps would probably work better than trying to line up angles with my back turned like I am now...haha. But you have a good idea about posting comparisons...in fact, I'm about to do just that!

I've seen far more dramatic imabalances from people working out one side harder than the other. If you worked out your chest hard, you'd probably be very pleased with the balance you'd get. Any deformity you make a big deal about in your head isn't noticeable to us sitting here, believe me. Guess what? The bones of my left wrist are 10-20% skinnier than the ones on my right, my left foot is half a size larger than the right one, my nasal septum is deviated blocking 95% of my right nostril and 50% of my left, etc etc. Nobody is perfectly symmetrical. Don't freak out about it. And you want to talk about asymmetrical chests? I dated a girl with one B cup and one C cup. And I really didn't care...at all. So I can guarantee you there won't be any girls thinking "Hmm, I'd really rather date a guy with more symmetrical pectoral muscles..."

Hey, it's been crazy at school so I haven't been on as much lately! I'm not sure how empirical the vinegar test is, but it certainly has the right idea behind it. I personally don't think there's any better way to go than chewable calcium tablets, a la Tums. Readily available, inexpensive, guaranteed to be dissolved! Calcium is not particularly helpful if it doesn't get dissolved quite quickly in the stomach...it's absorbed mainly in the duodenum, the first part of your intestine, so the faster it gets into solution, the more is available before it passes the point of absorption in the intestine.

Yeah, that's exactly what I was thinking...

Was it the same day, or the next day though? Same day, I agree, I've driven myself into hypoglycemia for a bit, but I've never heard of being mentally off for the day after the workout.

I agree. And I don't mean to offend osmosys by saying "it's probably in your head", but many people can have powerful physical and mental manifestations of psychological processes. If you are the type of person who genuinely feels more energized/cleansed/whatever when they know they are drinking electron water, you are probably the type of person who can produce other genuine physical symptoms stemming from thought processes (i.e. somatoform disorders). I would absolutely go to a doctor to rule out organic causes. Other than that, it would just be a matter of finding something you could believe will help (caffeine, high sugar organic fruit, energized crystals, preferably something inexpensive), and I'd put money down on it working to lift the fog. A complaint like "brain fog" is a homeopath/naturopath's wet dream. They can give you a glass of "vibrationally imprinted" water or grind up some "carefully selected" herbs, and BAM! You're cured. For only $299.

I have never heard of anything like this. Go to a doctor. Get your B-12, among other things, tested. It seems to me that one of two things is going on. Either you have some sort of medical/health issue going on, or it's psychological. By psychological, I mean that maybe you're expecting it to happen, so you freak out about it subconsciously or consciously, which starts making you feel like it's hard to concentrate, which makes you more worried it's happening again, and so on. That, or as I said, a health issue you should have checked out. Seeing "brain fog" and "electron water" in the same post makes me lean more toward thinking the issue is psychological, but it would still behoove you to see a doctor.

He's kind of a joke right now if you ask me. Yes, he's freakishly strong, but there's a difference between a strong guy who knows how to strike and how to grapple, and a strong guy who figures he can "wing it". Comparisons to Brock Lesnar are undeserved. Brock is a legitimate NCAA wrestling champ; while he's also freakishly strong, he has real skills to go along with that.

I also use CEE, and got the powder form to avoid gelatin capsules. Dear lord it tastes hideous! Like drinking saltwater mixed with earwax. I never tried monohydrate, and might go for it next due to the taste of CEE. I just have a LOT of this stuff to go through, so it'll be a while.

Hm, maybe I'll start trying empty bar squats to see if I can get the balance down. It's only recently that I developed enough hip flexibility to properly squat below parallel, though, so I think it will be a while before I can do full squats.

Man, the people on this forum are too awesome. Even their moms rock!

Anesthesiology all the way, baby! I'm actually off to the OR in a few minutes... is there anything that immediately attracts you? I walked into med school thinking surgery (especially neurosurg), but my experiences in the first 6 months made me rule out surgery, think about internal medicine and cardiology, and then fall in love with anesthesia!

My guess is either that there's something going on with your form, or that's just the way you're genetically programmed. I remember you had issues with the deadlift and injury, partly because of the length of your legs and things like that. Maybe it's possible that you're mechanically disadvantaged on squats? And maybe you're just genetically destined to be great at bench. Right now, my bench of 120 yesterday is the highest I've ever lifted. Bench has always been a weak point for me. And I have progressed very slowly on bench (improving by maybe 30%) vs squat (almost a 100% increase) since starting stronglifts. Have you ever done a high volume squat routine though? My previous encounters with squat were pathetic (I could bench more than I could squat, and I really couldn't bench that much!!), but doing stronglifts with a 5x5 squat ever 2-3 days whipped my squats into shape like you wouldn't believe. I think I started at 95 lbs under 3 months ago, and did 185 yesterday. Keep in mind I'm just aiming to break parallel, I'm not doing ass-to-grass because my hip and ankle flexibility aren't there yet.

Thanks, Adena! It's funny, isn't it? Because I work out at a university gym, there's so much macho bullshit, so I'd say probably 75% of the guys I see at the squat racks have horrible form and/or are doing partial reps. They're more worried about the number of plates people will see when they look over than they are about getting a proper workout. I talked with one guy who was doing 115 lb squats ass-to-grass who seemed embarrassed that he was lifting so little. I tried to tell him how awesome it was to see someone with such nice form. He actually felt like he was underachieving on squats, when in fact he was working harder than anyone else there.

Thanks! I'm certainly trying. Yesterday, there were two guys who set up 180 on their squat next to me. After I finished warming up and moved to my work weight of 185, I saw them look at me and say something like "Ok, time to bring it" and added 10 lbs. My gym buddy and I then watched as they proceeded to do a few sets of squats with half a proper ROM. These guys easily had at least 60 lbs on me. Made me feel quite ant-like

Time for me to weigh in with some 1RMs! I'm finally at a point I'm not embarrassed of Estimated 1RMs using my most recent 5x5 weight as a 5RM: Bench: 135 lbs Squat: 210 lbs Deadlift: 230 lbs Total: 575 lbs Bodyweight: 133 lbs

Haha, what an epic pic! Great job on the lift. Let's see you break 200!!

Welcome! I'm also a med student, a couple years ahead of you. Good luck with your goals!