Wolverine

I hope so! That's the idea anyway. Now the hard part - sticking to it and not getting distracted by shiny things!!! Thanks! So far so good. I hadn't heard of it either. I think most lifters around here are interested in strength first and hypertrophy second. As I am the opposite, in my searching I came across quite a few routines that I hadn't heard of before. I think Schoenfield's program is cool because it's split into three (four counting the break-in routine I'm doing now) different training phases, all with a different purpose. It's gonna take me awhile to get through one round of the whole thing (6 months, I think)... I've never stuck to a program that long before! Thanks, EG. Virtual hugs are good too.

I like hook grip (thumbs tucked) a lot for the deadlift. Granted, I've got beginner strength levels (max is around 250 lb.) so I'm no expert, but I found that it helped my grip immensely. Hurts at first but you get used to it. Most lifters I know/see use an alternating grip (one hand facing you, one hand facing away). You will reach a point where your grip will fail before your back/legs, so I'd suggest choosing one or the other (hook or alternating) soonish so that you don't have to relearn your form when you hit higher weights.

PHUL was one of my finalists! Looking forward to seeing how you like it.

Joybird couch or a true midcentury mod?

And just when you think you're done... you have kids and have to start doing it all over again. Congrats, @namelesswonder!

I'm right there with you. The entire challenge I've been asking myself why I chose THIS challenge to be my first one back!

That's a great idea!

Wow! Sooo cool! I have a couple things on my "would love to try but am too scared" list. You may have inspired me to attempt a couple.

OUCH! Hope it heals up quickly!

Congrats on the PR!!!

I've (finally) decided on a program by Brad Schoenfield. It's unlike anything I've ever done before, so I'm a little nervous about making the commitment to it, but... YOLO? First part is a "Break-In Routine" for those who haven't trained before or are coming back from a long layoff. As I am both injured (left shoulder, right elbow, lower back) and coming back from almost two months of inconsistent training, I have decided to go ahead and complete the two months of preparatory work before the actual program starts. BREAK-IN ROUTINE Block 1 Microcycle 1 Day 1 Molding Mobility DB Bench Press: 20# per DB x 20 x 3 Wide-Grip Lat Pulldown: 40# x 20 x 3 DB One-Arm Shoulder Press: 10# x 20 LR x 3 DB One-Arm Row: 20# x 20 LR x 3 DB Standing Alternating Curl: 10# x 20 LR, 15# x 20 LR x 2 Rope Pressdown: 30# x 20 x 3 Squat: 45# x 20 x 3 Lying Leg Curl: 25# x 20 x 3 Standing Calf Raise: BW x 20 x 3 NOTES Sets: 3 Reps: 15-20 Rest intervals: 1-2 min. Tempo: 1-2 sec. concentric and 2-3 sec. eccentric RPE: 6 Training Frequency: full body 3 days per week Mostly pump work, which was actually pretty fun. 20 rep squats, however, are never fun... even when it's just the bar! DB bench press and shoulder press were performed with a neutral grip due to my shoulder injury.

Thanks, BB. Both the support and the reminder of why we're here is appreciated.

WEEK 2 (LACK OF) PROGRESS Mind Post in challenge thread: 1 of 5 Follow at least 5 others and stay active in their threads: 1 of 5 Mouth Track all food every day: 0 of 7 Eat at least 135 g of protein: 0 of 7 Muscles Training: 1 of 5 Stick with program: 0 Notes Another difficult week. Not going to say it was unproductive, because it wasn't, but more productive in non-challenge ways. Now that the caregiver role has come to an end, I should be able to get back into a better routine. There will be things to do, but they will be less encompassing emotionally, I think.

On Friday night / Saturday morning, SM lost her battle with cancer. 32 days from diagnosis to death. Crazy. I miss her terribly but am very thankful that it's over. It's a weird feeling. Thanks for all the support!

WEEK 1 (LACK OF) PROGRESS Mind Post in challenge thread: 5 of 5 Follow at least 5 others and stay active in their threads: 5 of 5 Mouth Track all food every day: 3 of 7 Eat at least 135 g of protein: 1 of 7 Muscles Training: 2 of 5 Stick with program: 0 Notes Well, I think I underestimated how all-encompassing the death process would be. I hope that doesn't sound callous; it's not meant to. I was single parenting for half the week and caregiving the other half. All meals were provided by others or grabbed on my way to something else. Just about nothing was tracked, protein was almost non-existent, beer was a main player, and no training was done according to plan. The only goal I did successfully complete during week 1 was my community one. At least I have that! Going to focus on getting my training in this week. I know that if I can manage that then some of the other stuff will fall into place. For now, I'm not going to worry about the food stuff (as so much of it is outside of my control at this point) and try and not feel guilty about it. Dealt with some financial end-of-life stuff. Teared up over my checkbook. For whatever reason, the business side of things made it all feel real. Grief is strange.

Glad I could make you smile. It was, thanks. I'm hoping to prioritize it better this week and get more in.

Sooo not just you!

Nice! If you're careful with that deficit, the gym gains + weight loss should continue for awhile!

Hoping today was a more successful deadlift day!

Do you have a lacrosse ball? Something I discovered accidentally was that working the trigger points in your feet help calf and hamstring flexibility significantly (herniated disc with horrible sciatica = very tight hamstrings and calves!). My home gym: Squat Rack (pull-up bar at the top) Exercise Bands Flat Bench Incline/Decline Bench Olympic Bar Swiss bar EZ Bar Bar collars Bar pad (for hip thrusts) 2" x 4" (for calf raises) Deadlift Jack Safety Squat Bar (currently on its way) Bumper Plates Plate Tree 10-90 lb. Adjustable Dumbbells 2.5 lb. ankle weights (These are awesome. Add them to my wrists for DB exercises when I want to load less than 5 lb. per arm.) Dip Station Leg Curl/Extension (attaches to my bench) Lat Pulldown Weight Vest (0-70 lb.) Dip Belt Rings Parallettes Stationary Bike Kettlebells And some misc. stuff I'm sure I'm forgetting... I'm working in a pretty damn small space, so I do a lot of shuffling/moving etc. during my workouts. When I'm being lazy, I count this shuffling as cardio. I'd skip the TV/monitor for now unless you feel like you really need it. A phone camera will get you decent enough video for form checks. I record each set I do, play it back while I rest between sets, and then set it up again. Floor space is worth more than a larger screen IMO. Something I never knew I'd need, but I use more than just about anything are the exercise bands. When you have to get creative because you lack equipment (especially for accessory work), bands are often the answer. And they're cheap. Best bang for your buck by far.

Nice work on workout 1! And good on you for getting that run in... I've been trying to check a run off my to-do list for... oh... about two years now.

Getting pretty sick of the depressing challenge updates, but... that's kind of life right now! Wife is off to SM's after dinner so I'll have some time to myself this evening after I put the genetic experiment down for the night. I am hereby announcing that I will be working out and getting some iron therapy in tonight. Will post workout tomorrow for accountability.

Thanks, EG. Ha! So far... superhero-ness has not been achieved. I'm working on it. Thanks, O. Means a lot.

That plant is ridiculously cute. How was Wed. and Thur.?