Flex Luthor

Awesome man good for you.

1. I am a very relaxed person. Obviously everyone feels stressed some of the time but I think I do an excellent job of managing my stress and not letting little things overwhelm me.

Day 1 Workout finished. Here's my action report. Date: 2/25 Exercise: Bench Press Sets: 5 Reps: 4,3,3,2,2 Weight: 115,145,175,205,225 Rest: 3 min Difficulty: 2 Exercise: Push-up Sets: 5 Reps: 10 Rest: 1 min Difficulty: 1 Elbow pain was almost non existent. Fairly confident that by next week it will be gone. This challenge is definitely a test of my self control.

That's insane. I doubt very much you could just do that without building up to it. And Corey I think you and anyone in a 5 mile radius of you would fear those bowel movements haha

Bench Press - 2/25 225lbs @ 160 BW

This will be where I will post the videos for my challenge thread. The challenge is about improving my form so I'll post a video from every workout. I'm only doing 1 of the above exercises per workout and I'll just record the heaviest set. First workout is today with bench press. Video will follow soon.

So basically what I'm getting is that I need to be fully committed to Smolov or I will quit. I don't think I'm there yet but I haven't read anything about Smolov being ineffective so I will definitely keep it in mind for the future. Thanks for the input guys.

That is awesome crow is a really tough pose. Keep it up and you'll be doing handstands before you know it.

Anybody else love this guy as much as me? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7IK2jNEIoA

I will suggest hiding in your room as a last resort.

No problem man, remember, strong muscles are one's that are worked from all angles.

Even going low standard squats still don't work your hamstring as much as your quad. I turn my toes out to a near 90 degree angle which really targets my hamstrings.

Settled on a rep scheme for the challenge. 4,3,3,2,2 plus I'll do some bodyweight assistance exercises again depending on my elbow. Waldo, I think it's fascinating how many people say that tracking your results is key to your success when I know this to be false. Intensity is and will always be key to success.

As we nerds know quite well, our brain is a muscle. Unfortunately I haven't really been using it when it comes to weightlifting. I intend to change that. Goal 1: Focus on form for core lifts. Bench press, squat, deadlift, overhead press. -I will accomplish this goal by forcing myself not to lift heavier than I need to. This is defined as heavy enough to expose any form issues, light enough to keep my elbow tendonitis at bay. I'm thinking no more than 75% of 1RM but this number is subject to change based on how my elbows feel. I will add rep scheme and weights tomorrow when finalized. Goal 2: Record the heaviest core lift for a given workout on video and post on NF. -Pretty much just goes along with goal number 1 so that I can tweak my form as needed. Goal 3: Record data for every workout. -This is something that will be completely new for me. I have never recorded data on any of my workouts. Many in the fitness world think that there is merit to it, and as this is a cerebral challenge, I will try it. If I don't care for it or find any value, I don't have to do it in the future. Reasons why I never have: I remember my previous workouts weights and I've always been able to pinpoint reasons for my plateaus and overcome them. Data will be as follows: Date Exercise Sets Reps Weight Used Rest Difficulty of lift 1-5(1 Being I could do it all night, 5 Being I popped a blood vessel) Goal 4: Participate in the Positive Self Talk PvP -Really simple, post something positive about myself in the thread every day. Much easier said than done but simple nonetheless. Where I am now: Bodyweight - 160lbs. Bench Press - 305lbs Squat - 335lbs Deadlift - 340lbs OHP - 155lbs Self Esteem - Average of 3 good days in a week = 43% Not Good Overarching Goals: 1 Step Back, 2 Steps Forward. Obviously I won't be increasing in any of my lifts this way but that's not the point. I wish to gain a better understanding of how I need to lift versus how I actually lift in order to progress farther and faster in the future. Also to shift the self talk I have in a more positive direction. I have no idea what will happen with tracking my workouts, we'll see.

In 100%.

When talking about heavy lifting I disagree. I'd much rather run incorrectly then have weights crush me.

If you wanted to make the planks even harder on your abs, you would basically do the opposite of the position Waldo showed and put your hands in front of your shoulders. Really difficult if you keep your body low to the ground.

If you are limited on food options, white rice might be the best thing for you. While pretty poor nutrient wise, it will provide you the calories you need.

Also, here's a link to the program so that those that haven't done it can still voice their opinions on how effective this program would or would not be. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smolov_Squat_Routine PS I do realize this is an advanced routine. I've been lifting consistently for about 3 years and current squat is 335lbs at 160 BW so I'm not a beginner.

Just heard about this epic training protocol and I'm considering doing it as my squats are not where I want them to be. Few questions: 1. Has anyone done it? 2. Did your max go up? If so by how much? 3. Would you do it again? 4. Were there any problems that you experienced? Joints, injuries, too intense, etc. Would love to get some feedback. Basically everything I've read about it so far is that it's an incredibly effective yet intense program. Just wanted to get some firsthand experience. Any and all replies are appreciated.

Weightlifting counts right? haha

If you are trying to lose weight there really wouldn't be a problem being under your daily calorie goal. My only question is how do you feel? If you are feeling worn down, tired, and have little strength, then eat more. If you feel good and are able to workout without issue, I don't see how there would be a problem.

I wear converse. Never had a problem with them.

I very well may be your complete opposite. I track 0 data and never have. To each there own I suppose.

Have I mentioned how much I hate excuses? God I hate excuses with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. An excuse being ANYTHING that you let stop you from what you really want. History shows us again and again people that have overcome "impossible" odds when really, all they did was take action instead of make excuses.