BeansNBroccoli

Oh yeah and here's the paused squats, too If you've got instagram I post this stuff up all the time, my user name's the same

Thanks!! And nope, no straps for that one. Here, I uploaded the video I actually really dislike using straps and only use them if I absolutely have to, which usually only happens if I'm doing snatch grip deadlifts with heavy weights.

Wednesday's session was good. Paused all the squats, ass to grass. Press is feeling strong. I'm really enjoying 5x5 right now but finding myself looking for some more volume... I think after another month or two of this, especially if I'm somewhere where I can have a home gym and train at home, I might switch up to more of a 5 day bodybuilding program. We'll see Squats 10x45lbs 5x90lbs 5x110lbs 2x5x130lbs Incline Bench 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x75lbs 8x80lbs Deadlift 5x145lbs 5x170lbs 5x200lbs 5x230lbs Roman Chair Leg Raise 3x10 (superset with...) Lateral Raise 3x10x15lbs

Yeah, the "typical gym stuff" can be such a downer. I just wanna get in and move some heavy stuff around, I don't mind working in and sharing equipment, but it seems like most people have such an attitude. Whatever, I'll have my own home gym soon enough and until then I'll work my ass off with what I've got I ride every day for my commute but it's just not feelin like enough lately. I tried to take the dogs out for a quick 5K on Tuesday (up through Evanston - I also don't like running in the city), and they dragged so hard that it took us 45 minutes. Clearly they need conditioning too So I'm going to try to get them used to running with me and maybe I can get us down to my normal 5K time My buddy from Madison that I was planning on hooking you up with has actually moved himself up to the Twin Cities, I found out last week. I'll keep thinking though!

There is little more frustrating to me in the gym than wanting to use the ONE squat rack while some dude quarter reps out set after set and then drops the safeties and ROWS in the rack. Ugh bodybuilding gym. I just want my regular gym with it's three beautiful racks that people are generally smart and polite about using. More than that I want to move out somewhere with a backyard and get my own squat rack and squat to my heart's content outside. My girlfriend and I are possibly lookin at Gainesville, FL, so if there's anyone here from that area holla! I hear it's full of hippies and vegans and musicians so it might just be paradise. Plus, rent is about... 1/4 of what it is here, and there are actual backyards. Anyway, I took last week off the gym after spending the entirety of Monday and Tuesday sweatin moving heavy boxes and furniture up and down stairs and then the gym was closed Friday... but I'm back at it this week. I really miss the gym when I take that sort of time off, and I'm feelin a little fluffy but today's session was good. BW back at 132 lbs, but it feels so fluffy like a lot of it is water right now... I think I might want to start running a little bit again, just a 5k here and there. We'll see Bench still feeling more solid, a little bit of a grind at the end of the 85lb set but I know my form is spot on and I'm feelin strong. Bent Over Rows 5x55lbs 5x65lbs 5x75lbs 5x95lbs 5x105lbs Bench Press 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x80lbs 8x85lbs Crunch Machine 4x15x80lbs (superset with...) Weighted Hypers 3x10x25lbs Squat 10x45lbs 5x85lbs 5x105lbs 5x130lbs 5x150lbs 5x165lbs (was written out for 5x170, but at the end of my session I didn't think I could put that much up... really need to do squats first but so difficult when it's so crazy busy in the gym. doesn't everyone else know today is supposed to be their bench day so that I can work in my squats in peace? )

Got in good today. My appetite is completely out of control - I'm constantly ravenous. This weekend is Pride so I'm sure I'll be getting a lot of my calories in liquid form but I'll do what I can to keep the beast fed. I actually just finished a huge sandwich post-workout and I feel like I may have to go in search of more food or at least pound down a protein shake... I just want to eat everything. Squat 5x85lbs 5x105lbs 5x130lbs 5x150lbs 5x170lbs (was supposed to be 3x170 but I felt like I had more in me so I kept going) 8x130lbs Bench Press 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x80lbs 5x85lbs 3x90lbs Bent-Over Rows 5x55lbs 5x65lbs 5x75lbs 5x95lbs 3x105lbs 8x75lbs Dips (w/18lb resistance) 3x8 (superset with...) Barbell Curls 3x8x55lbs (superset with...) One-Arm Tricep Extension 3x8x15lbs

Yeah, I've been spending a lot of time in Michigan and Wisconsin with my girlfriend this summer, kind of camping everywhere and it's been just fantastic. I really do still love the city and all of the convenience and amenities and job opportunities... But I think the time is coming where I might be ready to try a little something else. The cost of living here is also just getting pretty obnoxious, and I even live way up in East Rogers Park where things are relatively cheap for the north side. I'm actually from Madison and have quite a few friends up that way, I'll give it some thought to see if I can come up with anyone in a law related position and would be happy to pass along some contact info and help connect if I can! I've been thinking about a lot of different places and haven't really settled on just one... Michigan is a definite possibility, and I've thought about California or even Canada as well. The idea of skipping the country entirely and going overseas is really attractive to me too, but the quarantine protocols for emigrating with dogs are worrisome to me. I'm not sure my little guy could handle being separated from me like that, so it might not even be an option. No matter which way I decide, my current position here at Northwestern is up at the end of September so that might be just the kick I need to get outta here Also, regarding training, likewise! I always enjoy checkin up on your log!

Hey Rob I've never heard about this Zone training... from what it sounds like, you use the same general principle as 21's but without executing the full movement for the last reps? This definitely sounds like something I might be interested in implementing myself when doing bodyweight stuff. Thanks for the ideas!

You can do a LOT of things to modify your push-ups if you feel like your routine has gotten stale. Pick up a resistance band and loop the ends under your hands and the band over your back. Put your feet up on something to get more of an "incline press" type push-up. Add explosive movements like clap push-ups. Throw on a heavy backpack (load it down with textbooks or something else dense) and do your pushups (for dips, it might be easier to somehow attach weight to the waist rather than the back). You can work towards one-arm pushups by starting on an incline (hands up on something, feet on the floor) if you're not quite ready for them from the floor. Good luck, I hope some of these spark some new training ideas for you.

Shit day in the gym today. I was feeling excellent, really strong. Pressing was easy and smooth. First sets of deadlift felt like they were flying off the floor. Then I got tapped on the shoulder and told I couldn't lift in my socks. The ONE day I didn't bring backup shoes... so I got in almost no squats and I didn't get to hit my top set for deads and I was just kinda pissed. I understand if it's policy, but it's not posted, and I've been lifting in socks there for weeks now with zero issues. So I had to leave halfway through my session and I hate leaving things half done. I'm still kind of stewing about it, because I was feeling so strong today and I just knew I was going to fly through the rest of my lifts. Damn. Oh, the things I would do for a home gym... I kind of hope that in the next year I might move out of Chicago to somewhere that I can have a backyard for the dog and space to garden and at least a little corner for a rack and a bench. I love the city, but spending so much time out in the country this summer so far has made me really long for some more space in my day to day life... Incline Press 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x75lbs 8x80lbs Deadlift 8x95lbs 5x140lbs 5x170lbs 5x200lbs Squat 5x85lbs

Hey! Nice start to your log, and welcome to the site! 5x5 is an excellent program, I'm sure you'll see some impressive progress.

Wasn't sure how today's session would go, went in on a pretty empty stomach and not a ton of sleep but I knocked this one outta the park. I love 5x5, I don't know why I ever let it slip. I've been getting such excellent range of motion lately - all sets of squats completely ATG except the set at 170, but I absolutely broke parallel. Performing all of my lifts much more slowly lately and I feel like it's making a big difference in my form and my development. Bench is steadily improving with my 8rep sets, so pleased. I love lifting so much. Squats 10x45lbs 5x85lbs 5x105lbs 5x125lbs 5x145lbs 5x170lbs Bench Press 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x75lbs 8x80lbs 8x85lbs Bent Over Row 5x55lbs 5x65lbs 5x75 5x85 5x100 Crunch Machine 4x15x80lbs (superset with...) Weighted Hypers 3x10x25lbs

My favorite thing about Starr's 5x5 is that now both times that I've started it, my appetite has skyrocketed immediately. That's exactly what I need to keep gettin in these gainzzz Squats 10x45lbs 5x85lbs 5x105lbs 5x125lbs 5x145lbs 3x170lbs 8x125lbs Bench Press 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x75lbs 5x85lbs 10x65lbs Bent Over Row 5x55lbs 5x65lbs 5x70 5x85 3x100 8x75lbs Dips (20lb assistance) 3x5 (superset with...) Barbell Curls 3x8x60lbs (superset with...) One Arm Tricep Extensions 3x8x15lbs

Hey buddy, how's recovery goin? Back at it yet?

Thanks buddy! I've been workin hard! Decided today to get back on Bill Starr's 5x5 and this time follow it to the letter, with the exception of increasing press volume (my body seems to adapt better with 8 rep sets instead of 5 reps with slightly lower weight). Only deadlifting once a week may not sound ideal to me, but I wanna grow and I'm gonna trust the pros. Squatting 3x/week is pretty excellent consolation for a once/week deadlift, though Since I'm starting with lower weights that I've been usin to get myself ramped up, I focused really hard on form today. Every single squat was ass to grass. Deadlifts were full resets on the ground. I held each crunch for at least 3 sec. I will make this work for me, and I will get bigger. Weight down to 131lbs today, I don't know how I fluctuate so much constantly... I just wanna get set at 140 and stay there. I suppose it took me a year to put on 10lbs solid enough to stay put, though, so I should be patient. The size will come. Squats 10x45lbs 5x85lbs 5x105lbs 2x5x125lbs Incline Bench 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x70lbs Deadlift 8x95lbs 5x135lbs 5x165lbs 5x190lbs 5x220lbs Crunch Machine 3x15x75lbs

The powerlifting gym is closed for the week because Northwestern has a week of summer break (helloooo trimesters), so I had to go to the more bodybuilding-focused gym. I expected it to be pretty empty with most of the students gone... but it was full. Of powerlifters. Apparently everyone else from my gym had the same idea as me and we just took over. It was good to see a bunch of my familiar faces at a less familiar gym. Took it a little easy on deadlifts today to make sure my hand would hold up, also I really don't like the plates that this gym has for deadlifts. Anyway, all went well and I'll be back deadliftin full force next week in my regular gym. Also, I need to pick and stick with a new program again. Everytime I slip, I slip entirely out of my program, but not entirely out of the gym. Might go back and pickup Starr's 5x5 again, I liked that shit. Snatch-Grip Deadlift 10x45lbs 6x115lbs 6x135lbs 3x6x155lbs Alternating Hammer Preacher Curls 3x10x20lbs 15x15lbs (superset with...) Lateral Raise 3x10x15lbs 15x12lbs Close Press 10x45lbs 3x10x55lbs (superset with...) Straight Arm Pushdowns 4x10x84lbs

Was supposed to rest today, got antsy and went in anyway. I'm tired of slackin at the gym. It's time to get back on track. Front Squats 15x45lbs 10x85lbs 2x10x105lbs 10x115lbs 15x75lbs Plate Front Raise 4x10x25lbs Cable Curl 4x12x46lbs Rope Tricep Pushdown 4x12x68lbs Ab Crunch Machine 3x15x75lbs

Also, I've been pretty good about getting in my daily pull ups lately, hitting around 30-40 pull ups/chin ups every day and they're feeling really strong. I'd rather do pull ups than almost any other upper back/arm exercise and I like that I can do em at home and spread them through the day whenever I feel like it.

Haha Kora unfortunately I think it's all too common! I don't mind if the meatheads want to stand around and pat each other on the back for shitty squats (feels wrong to even call what they do "squats," tbh), but when it's impeding my ability to get a good session in I tend to feel a little hot under the collar Got my squats today, though!! Stayed up in bodybuilding rep range and modified my normal session quite a bit... I burned my left hand pretty good cooking this weekend (that'll teach me to forget the pan cover was in the oven too... sheesh...) so I won't be deadlifting for a little while until the blisters are gone, I really don't wanna pop em. I used the hammer strength curl machine today too to try to take some stress off my fingers while still hitting biceps and it worked, although I'd very much rather be using free weights and I can't wait to get back to normal sessions. Oh well, letting it heal before hitting it hard will be a shorter wait than if I just went at it and ripped open the blisters, so I'll just have to exercise some patience and serious exercise modification for a bit I've been a little lax in the gym for the past month or so anyway, so I'll just relax through this healing process and come back at it harder than ever when I'm healed. The resting I've been doing has really helped with bulking - I'm back up to 139lbs and a little fluffy (not that I mind) but feeling solid and strong. Squats 15x45lbs 10x135lbs 10x145lbs 3x10x150lbs Incline Press 10x55lbs 4x10x65lbs Straight Arm Pulldown 10x80lbs 4x10x90lbs Hammer Strength Preacher Curls 10x50lbs 10x40lbs 10x35lbs 2x10x30lbs

Ran into some serious meatheads at the gym yesterday that were hogging the squat rack. By which I mean, when I asked him how many sets he had left while he was doing squats, he told me just a couple but then informed me that he still had press and deadlift to do (mind you, the deadlift platforms were both open). Silly me, I thought the squat rack was for, I don't know, SQUATTING. Ergh. I hit leg press instead and my quads are killin today, though, so I didn't let it get me too far down. I just don't like havin to skip squats, I like to get em in every day. Leg Press 4x10x360lbs (superset with...) Lateral Raise 4x10x15lbs Decline DB Press 4x10x30lbs (superset with...) Hammer Curls 4x10x20lbs Straight-Arm Pulldown 4x10x80lbs

Man, I rode to work today in freezing rain. Wearing my thermals. In the middle of May. This is ridiculous and we deserve such a nice spring/summer for putting up with this hellish never ending winter. Squat 10x45lbs 5x85lbs 5x105lbs 5x130lbs 5x135lbs 5x145lbs Deadlift 5x135lbs 5x175lbs 5x205lbs 3x225lbs Leg Press 3x15x360lbs (superset with...) Cable Row 3x10x106lbs

Squat 10x45lbs 5x85lbs 5x115lbs 5x130lbs 5x150lbs 5x170lbs (superset with...) Hip Thrust 3x10x135lbs 10x155lbs Bench Press 10x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x70lbs 8x75lbs 8x80lbs 8x80lbs (superset with...) Cable Row 4x10x100lbs Lateral Raise 3x10x15lbs (superset with...) Flat Fly 3x10x15lbs

I've been feeling so strong lately. Scale's stalled again, back down around 130lbs but my lifts are going up so I'm not really complaining. I'll just continue to stuff my face. New deadlift 5RM again this week - just smashin those lately. Incline press felt awesome today, too... Sessions have been great lately. Just fantastic. Squat 10x45 5x85 5x105 5x130 5x130 Incline Press 10x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x70lbs 8x75lbs 8x75lbs Deadlift 5x135lbs 5x165lbs 5x195lbs 5x215lbs 5x235lbs*** Lateral Raise 3x10x15lbs (superset with...) Hammer Curls 3x10x20lbs 10x15lbs 15x10lbs (apparently this is just how I like to end my sessions every time now haha)

Movin on up! Squat 87.5 (no change) Bench 45kg (8x36kg) Deadlift 114.5kg (5x102kg) BW 59kg

I was having some issues with my feet cramping up after hitting the gym so I decided to start lifting without shoes. I had been wearing just Chucks, but they're old and probably less help than hurt at this point. Lifting in just socks has been a game changer, though - I haven't felt any foot pain since I switched. It's pretty excellent. I've also been going thumbless for basically every barbell movement except for deads, which I think has made a big difference. Suicide grip on the bench feels infinitely better than a thumbed grip for me and I'm really glad I've made the switch. Bench is really starting to feel good, which is great because it's the first time bench has felt good in the entire 1.5-2yrs I've been at this. It's about time! Squat 15x45lbs 5x85lbs 5x105lbs 5x130lbs 5x150lbs 5x170lbs V-Bar Cable Row 5x70lbs 5x90lbs 5x110lbs 5x120lbs 5x130lbs Bench Press 8x45lbs 8x55lbs 8x65lbs 8x70lbs 8x80lbs SLDL 3x10x145lbs (superset with...) Decline Crunch (practically vertical, really) 3x15 Hammer Curls 3x10x20lbs (superset with...) Lateral Raise 3x10x15lbs