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Ok so managed to film my 85kg squats, 40kg overhead press and 120kg deadlift. With the deadlifts, I know I am squatting them up, however our plates do not lift the bar to the regulation 21cm's, so I kinda do a semi, deficit deadlift. I need to get to the gym and practice on a properly heighted bar.

So I started doing stronglifts a little while ago and have been progressing steadily. I am fairly confident in my other lifts but I never feel confident in my squatting ability and would like any pointers if possible.

So I started my lifting career with Stronglifts 5x5, and it seemed great, except my deadlift was always either equal with, or even slightly below my squat. And I never could seem to get it to progress any faster than that, despite the fact that everyone else (not just here, but pretty much everywhere, with only a few world class athlete's, or half squatters as exceptions) had a bigger deadlift than their squat. I've since moved onto the Texas Method for powerlifters, and do RDL's on Monday for pulling volume. And sure enough, my deadlift keep creeping up, but once again, only at the same rate as my squat. In fact, I struggle more to finish my deadlift reps at the end of Intensity Day than I do to finish my squat reps at the start of intensity day (and I know, I'm tired by the end of the workout, it shouldn't be that much of a surprise). And before anyone asks, yes, I did check my depth on my squat to make sure I wasn't cheating my way up on squats. Anyway, this week I've taken 10% off of my squat training max, and managed all my reps on squat in a single set (hasn't happened since I last broke 180kg as my Intensity day squat weight), hit my bench (which I was expecting to fail because its now put my training max equal with my last virtual comp max), and then proceeded to hit my 5 singles on deadlift easier than last weeks weight. So the point of all of this is (and I'm sorry for going on quite so long about it): should my squat training really be impacting my deadlift training so much that a 10% deload in the squat resulted in immediate improvement in my deadlift? tl;dr = my deadlift suddenly seems easier despite being heavier simply by reducing the intensity of my squat training. Is this normal or am I just broken?

Hey guys! Almost finished with my first month on Stronglifts. My first foray with deadlifting socks and the fact I was using a squat rack by a window and had something to rest the phone on means I filmed myself. I'm sorry I didn't capture my feet, but I have a strong aversion to portrait mode. Hopefully you've got enough to go on... https://vimeo.com/168666565

hey guys, i was wondering if you could help me build up a plan to train 3 times a week (monday, wednesday,friday) i also do rugby specific team training on tuesdays and thursdays and a game on saturdays. i would like to build lean muscle and loose fat (im also intending on starting the paleo diet) i currently am abit wayward with my workouts i sorta just do whatever i want coz i have no real structure to follow. i love the deadlift and would love to increase my 1 rep max (227.5Kg) any advice welcome thanks

Haven't done a form check before, so figured now was a good time as I'm approaching bodyweight for working sets and it's better to fix things now rather than later. I originally did high bar squats and switched to low bar a bit ago when I did Starting Strength. I noticed recently that I was putting some weight on my wrists, and tried to fix things per Rippletoe's suggestions so these feel better as far as back position now. I'm doing the Danger program, block 1, so this is yesterday, second set out of three of 90% of my 10 RM. I've been squatting barefoot with the home gym, and am a bit uncertain as to whether or not I should upgrade to lifting shoes. https://www.youtube.com/embed/reSjadPABG8 Thanks everyone in advance! It's a bit nerve wracking putting up form check #1.

Still figuring out specific goals for this next round. Please entertain yourself with this for now! NOW UPDATED! NOW WITH ACTUAL CHALLENGE GOALS!! It should be of little surprise to anyone who has followed me on here for any amount of time that I keep a full plate... PLATES!! of things to do at all times. Sometimes I end up feeling I have that one too many plates stacked and I get super stressed out and overwhelmed. An excellent example -- this week would have been nuts anyway, but then LIFE HAD TO GO AND HAPPEN and someone hit my parked car last week. That added stress off AAAH CAR MY BABY WAAAAAH and WHEN WILL I HAVE TIME TO FIX THIS on top of my already intentionally crazy schedule... this week has sucked. Hard. Inspired by this past week of ARGH AAAH SO MUCH TO DO AAAAAAH OVERWHELMED... the theme of this challenge will be maintaining my fitness schedule (albeit more moderate amount of exercise than I would like...) while making sure I fit in time for self care. The dance show I am working on is happening on Mother's Day weekend -- we are getting into super crunch time! So focusing on my sanity and self care are KEY!!! GOAL 1 - CHILL TIME - I need down time. Like bad. Clearly I don't get this if I don't plan for it. I would ideally love an actual full DAY of downtime at least once per week, but given rehearsal schedule I will settle for at least one solid chunk of 4 hours of no planned activities (including social activities!) once per week (no. sleeping does not count. Hahahaha.) GOAL 2 - MAINTENANCE - I am getting a TON of physical activity with craptons of dance rehearsals but I still need to make sure I fit in some dedicated strength training in there somewhere. At least twice per week work on strength training. It doesn't have to be all of these in each workout, but it'd be good to try and touch on each thing at least once per week -- PUSH, PULL, CORE, SQUATS. With my current level of stress and ACK I am keeping it to just these two things right now!

I haven't done a form check in a while, and it seems like my form on a few things might be shaky. I've been doing squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press, and power clean as described in Starting Strength, although I am no longer doing that program. Hopefully it won't be too confusing to do all five in one thread. Seems like my depth here is borderline. Here is where I think I might have a significant form problem. For several months now, whenever I do overhead press, the outside of my right elbow (possibly my lateral epicondyle) hurts at the bottom of the press. It gets better when I focus on controlling the descent, but it doesn't completely go away. I don't get elbow pain at any other time, including during bench press. I'm not aware that my form changed recently, but it didn't always feel like this. Sorry that the video is too zoomed in. Hopefully that doesn't frustrate analysis. Regrettably, I was not able to finish this set, despite the powerful encouragement from my spotter. Since this was taken, I have been able to do 187.5x5. Like overhead press, my bench press has increased very slowly (less than 2.5 lbs a week). I am starting to see a little back bend on the last rep. I'm not sure if the video captures it, but my hook grip was also starting to fail. When I watch this, it seems like it takes me forever to get under the bar. I appreciate anybody's feedback.

I was doing well with lifting a few months ago running 5/3/1, and playing with other intermediate level programs. But, life was turned upside down and after five months off of regular access to a full gym, I need to rebuild my foundation. I re-building my base strength by running Starting Strength -- with a few tweaks perhaps. I've made this very detailed so that I can follow it precisely without any second guessing and to give myself an "objective to-do list" so I stay consistent and don't change something just because I'm bored. My main purpose in posting this here is to cast a wide net and get some more diverse feedback on what I've got and see if there's anything I've forgotten or any advice to improve it. Current Program Based on Starting Strength. Main Objectives: I. Rebuild strength base and recondition to lifting after several months off of training. II. Correct mistakes and fix weaknesses that may have arisen from shortcuts and deviations during my initial beginner phase. III. Try to extend linear progression as long as possible before graduating to an intermediate program. 1) Start Protocol: Here are my starting weights, sets, and reps for all lifts, though Press, and Power Cleans have not been added. I'll add those in to alternate between bench and deadlifts after the first deload to allow extra recovery. I'm debating whether to alternate front squats or high bars with low bar down the road for a similar reasons to help on squat. I'm not starting with just the bar, but weights that are easy enough, while still making me sweat. (most are probably in the 30-50% range of my old maxes). Squat: 135# 5x5 Bench: 105# 5x5 Deadlift: 185# 1x5 Press: 65# 5x5 Power Clean: 95# 5x5 My next workout will be: Squat: 155# 5x5 Bench: 120# 5x5 Deadlift: 205# 5x5 2) Workout Protocol The goal is to execute planned weights, sets, and reps on the main lifts with strict and proper form and allow proper recovery between sets. The main three lifts for the day come first always. Optional assistance lifts or callisthenics include: chinups, pullups, pushups, lunges, light KB work, core exercises, curls, and overhead pressing movements (prior to the addition of the press as a lift). No additional assistance lifts will be added unless they are needed to compensate for failed reps. Each set will have 2-5 min of rest between. On this, less is better provided my rate of breathing and my pulse have returned to a comfortable but active rate. (How it feels to walk at a moderate pace for several minutes). If a mistake or weakness is detected during a lift, it must be corrected by mental cue on the next rep. Otherwise the set is considered a failure. I will allow ONE AND ONLY ONE makeup set for a lift if I believe the set failed due to improper but still correctable form or lack of rest between sets. I can add an assistance lift, IF AND ONLY IF, a fail to reach 5x5 on a main lift, and the assistance lift has relevant corrective benefit to the lift and the aspect of its failure. 3) Progression Protocol. For each successful 5x5 workout, I will increase, by set weights depending on which deload phase (the number of deloads I've done previously). The goal being to maintain a linear progression throughout the program. Phase 0 Phase 1 Phase 2 Squat: +10 +5 +2.5 Bench: +5 +5 +2.5 Deadlift: +10 +10 +5 Press: +5 +2.5 +1.25 Power Clean: +5 +2.5 +1.25 For now all my workouts are squat, bench, and deadlift (SBD). And when time permits I throw in an assistance lift or two. This is to get my big three up by taking advantage of LP. 4) Follow Deload protocol I will deload and graduate between phases when I have not achieved 5x5 at the weight two workouts in a row. Deloads will be 10-15%. Bench Deload: After first, alternate workouts between Bench and Strict Press while maintaining 5x5 and 5 lbs increases. Deadlift Deload: After first, alternate workout between Deadlift and Power Clean while maintining 5x5 and 10 lbs increases. Squat Deload(?): After first, alternate workout between Low Bar and High bar squat, maintain 5x5 and 10 lbs increases. Proceed through Deload phases with decreasing weights. After Phase 2, deload 10-15% and reduce sets x reps to 3x5 and begin at phase 0. 5) Recovery Protocol a. Only add workouts to compensate for anticipated appointments or circumstances that make it impossible to get to the gym. b. Never lift more than four days in one week. c. Never lift for more than two consecutive days. d. In the event of obvious, and ongoing physical limitations to my normal activities: 1. If the limitation is limited to one part of the body deload 10% on lifts that affect that part of the body. 2. If the limitation is systemic, drop assistance work, deload all lifts 10%. 3. Consider an increase of fluids, calories, and protein. 4. Add additional recovery and warmup work as appropriate. e. In the event of injuries, drop all lifts affecting the injured body part until the injury has healed. Take appropriate action to help recover the injury. Deload lifts affect the injured body part a minimum of 10%. f. Get 8 hours of sleep every night (or at least on average). g. Maintain good hydration levels. 6) Graduation protocol Follow the program until a stall during phase 2 on the 3x5 program is reached. Afterward program the lift in a 5/3/1 cycle. When all lifts have graduated, deload, and begin an intermediate program. 7) Abort protocol Only quit this program if any problems persist despite following the recovery protocol.

You can see the video on Vimeo. The password is my NF username (it's case sensitive!) This was the best angle I could get. Hopefully it's still useful. Also, Adobe After Effects is awesome.

Finally got up my bodyweight on squats! Comments?

6'2" - 6'3" depending on posture, 185 lbs BW, 32 yo, male, .... Canadian? Okay, so I'm relatively new to the lifting things game. I've got about 2 months down including the current 4 week challenge. I'm looking for the same helpful information you're sharing with everybody else but tailored to my noob ass. Please help. This is face on for a 162.5 lbs workset (the same one I failed to hit 5x5 twice prior but got it today) https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByTP-s6sfmp2ZWt3alRKdjBjU3M/view?usp=sharing Side view, same weight, next set https://drive.google.com/file/d/0ByTP-s6sfmp2ZlVFZEFGZld6NnM/view?usp=sharing And yeah... I see what that first video looks like now At least turn the sound off

more text will soon come I have been sick since the 31st of last year so I will start my challenge next week instead. my life goal will be to get the habit back, so I will make 4 small fitness goals instead goal 1: Hang for at least 7 minutes a day goal 2: play in squat for at least 30 minutes pr day goal 3: daily head2toe stretch goal4: daily inversions. get the habit back of at least once a day being inverted

Main Quest To improve my squat and deadlift. Specifically to squat 227x5 and deadlift 247x5. Background After finishing my 99 miler, I feel kind of blah about fitness goals. Understandable, but it has been almost three months now so time to move on to new and exciting fitness goals. My main quest may not seem very scoutly, but runs are much nicer as the legs get stronger. I will work on my upper body too, but that just comes along for the ride and not my main motivation when lifting. So my goals for this challenge are simple. Fitness wise I want to lift, keep up running (both for fitness and a calming) and get some yoga in too (mostly for calming). Diet wise I am going back to 3 primal meals with only planned indulgences. And my first attempt at a novel (NaNoWriMo!). Goals +4 STR: 18 lifting workouts +2 STA: 18 runs, bikes, or stair workouts +2 DEX: 6 yoga +4 CON: 3 primal meals, indulgences only if planned +3 WIS: 50000 words Stats LVL: 24, FAILS: 3, STR: 39.25, DEX: 36.5, STA: 57.5, CON: 28.25, WIS: 22, CHA: 17.75

change everything you are & everything you were your number has been called /me pins *guest* badge to her shirt as she steps into the Assassin’s Den. YES! Welcome to the first challenge of my brand new themeset! (In a brand new guild, even?! WHOA NELLIE) Hi, I'm Shaarawy, a barbell loving uber-nerd journeying over from the Rangers because my goals have become much more... Assassin-ly. If you’ve followed any of my previous ventures you’ll notice I’m moving away from having a specific “thing†for each of my challenge themes - instead, each 6 weeks I’ll choose a song that’s not only near to my heart, but lyrically works for the spot I’m at in my fitness journey. I love music and weird random stuff, so this should be fun. (And I’ll have more freedom to not stick with super-specific gifs and imagery throughout 6 weeks... oh haayyylll yes.) (I promise there won’t be a ton of K-Pop.) (Heheheh....) This first song by Muse I’m using is pretty much hella perfect for me right now. It’s strong and empowering and all about change. Interesting yet positive change is happening everywhere in my life and I’m excited to start making some changes here by going back to the basics and focusing on my new loves of primal movement and mobility. I LOVE PRIMAL MOVEMENT. Like holy moly, I do! It’s about getting back to basics, being prepared for unpredictability, gaining bodily awareness, and utilizing your entire body to make yourself much more antifragile. I’m deeply interested in re-training my body how to move properly. Humans weren’t meant to sit for 8 hours a day or become “domesticated†with silly things like chairs, shoes, sidewalks. I want to break free of the things that are holding me back, and are weakening and working against my muscles. I want to become an undomesticated human - to be able to move freely and comfortably, to re-train my body how to sit and squat and stretch the *right* way, and start setting a great foundation for my other fitness endeavors. I don’t want to play by the rules where adults have to sit still all day (or for hours a day) and lose their playful nature - that’s not me. I want to roll in grass and scramble up rock faces and climb trees, not only that, but be comfortable doing it, AND INJURY FREE. Yass. Injuries SUUUCK. Jonathan Mead’s blog Uncaged Human [http://jonathanmead.com/blog] is a HUGE source of inspiration for me, and if you’ve been reading all of this with an eyebrow quirked (shaarawy you’re a weird bird, you might be thinking) take a look at his stuff for a little more clarity or just to further an interest. It’s all super practical and genuine. His classes at Camp NerdFitness really hit me like a brick to the face and made me go, YES, I WANT THIS! I’m also pairing this with a lot of Kate Galliett’s teachings - she is a mobility fitness coach that really opened my eyes to how HELLA IMMOBILE I am, and I’m so ready to utilize her strengthening drills to not only make me a more mobile person overall, but to re-teach my muscles how to perform and do away with all of the little niggling aches and pains in my body, WHILE continuing to work hard and lift weights. (And lift weights BETTER, because I’ll be optimizing my body and muscles for strength and efficiency!!!! I AM REALLY SILLY KINDS OF EXCITED ABOUT THIS. YES, NERDS.) So I’m starting small, with the basics. One small building block at a time as I continue my regular fitness regime outside of this challenge. (I lift 2-3 days weekly.) I’m working from the outside in, starting with the feet, hands, extremities, letting them become foundations to support all of my goals. “Big things come from small beginnings.†i. best, you’ve got to be the best (STA+3 DEX+1) The number one thing on my list is to work on my resting squat. (Alternatively called a “caveman squat†or “third world squatâ€.) It’s a natural human resting position but it’s something we just don’t do anymore now that we have things like... chairs, couches? (Aside, I LOVE my couch. Just sayin’.) The squat is a great mobility tool for SO many areas - feet, ankles, hips, balance, just to name a few. So, strengthening, mobility, and it’ll help my barbell squats? Yes, ok, excellent. I addended resting squats to one of my challenges a while ago, but I REALLY want to focus on it. I want to squat 30 minutes for 5 out of 7 days. Not 30 minutes at a time, I can break it up - 5 minutes in the morning while I’m waiting for my coffee, 10 minutes patting a cat (yay), etc. Add it up over the day. Right now I can hold the pose okay, with some struggle, so I really want to see what 6 weeks of persistence will do!!! A - Squat 30 minutes for 5 days. B - Squat 30 minutes for 4 days. C - Squat 30 minutes for <3 days. ii. you’ve got to change the world (STR+1 DEX+3) Ah, Ye Olde Extremities. I don’t think people think a lot about hand and foot strength much. I never really did. ESPECIALLY foot strength. Like, your feet are pretty important?? They only HOLD YOU UP and move you around, right? Why did you NEVER really think about foot strength and mobility before, Shaarawy?? I had a bit of a personal “a-ha†moment with this at Camp when I hiked to the waterfall alone one morning. I was gingerly navigating the stones in the pools, trying to get to a good location for photos, and was having a REALLY HARD TIME getting some stable footwork. So much of a hard time that I actually slipped and fell into the water up to my calf. Wow. I NEVER had trouble with this as a kid, navigating the forest and its intricacies. This was a big wake up call to me that I needed to work on my foot and ankle mobility. I’m pairing this one with grip strength Because Extremities, and as a lifter, I need to condition my hand muscles better so I’m not so weak with the grabbings. And, you know, holding things. (A big takeaway from one of Kate’s videos was that grip strength can affect everything all the way up to your shoulder mobility - WHOA - which you’ll see in juuuust a moment......) For foot exercises I will use the seven drills in the following video: http://fitforreallife.com/2015/09/how-to-take-care-of-foot-pain-and-improve-foot-function/ For grip exercises I’ll simply hang from my pull-up bar every time I walk under it. [insert starting time for how long i can hang here.] A - Hand and foot strengthening for 5 days. B - Hand and foot strengthening for 4 days. C - Hand and foot strengthening for <3 days. iii. and use this chance to be heard (DEX+3) Shoulder mobility. AUGH. My eyes really opened when I attended Kate’s shoulder mobility class at Camp and realized ... ... .......... WOW. Okay. I suck. I’m sorry, shoulders, I am a terrible human being who JUST DIDN’T KNOW ANY BETTER *sobs* I’m going to be utilizing the three mobility exercises from the following video: http://robbwolf.com/2015/10/12/three-solutions-to-aches-and-pains-that-you-might-not-have-tried-yet/ They are 1. the reverse shrug, 2. the row, and 3. shoulder rotation. I’ve got a pull up bar here at the house so NO EXCUSES THERE. Kate recommends 10 reps of each so my goal is to also do this 5 out of 7 days. A - Shoulder mobility drills for 5 days. B - Shoulder mobility drills for 4 days. C - Shoulder mobility drills for <3 days. iv. your time is now (WIS+2 CHA+2) Ooo, this is the big one. After a lot of soul-searching, I’ve decided to take the plunge into a career change that would give me remote flexibility. Sitting in an office all day is slowly killing me and I’m at the point where I’m ready to make a change for me, my future, and my happiness. Being able to work from anywhere would be the ultimate end-game for me, and allowing me flexibility with not only my location but my time? I need this, badly. I’m ready for more freedom and to break the chains of “9 to 5 lifeâ€. I want to do remote work as either a junior editor or a content creator. I love writing and I’ve contributed to multiple big sports blogs in the past with my content. People have told me multiple times they really like my work and that it’s unique and engaging, and that’s a big “!†for me right there. I have a great command of the English language. I have a 4 year Communications degree. I’m unique in that I can not only write, but I also own a DSLR and can photograph my own content. I have experience in digital design. Why am I not doing this?!... Oh, it’s scary. SIGH. Come on, kid. I’m in a lucky position right now in that I have a part-time job that seats me at a desk (and computer) 4 days out of the week. This is perfect for me because I can keep my current income while starting to build my self-portfolio on the side. There is legitimately ZERO RISK. None. Nada. Zilch. This quest is pass or fail ONLY - create a website that I can use as a portfolio of my writing skills for future employers, and post at least two articles to start. Photos optional but would be awesome depending on the content. I’m aiming to keep it “adventure travel†oriented - exploring local places and documenting my journeys. Let’s do this. A - Website created and designed, two articles posted. F - How badly do you want this?! Maaaaaan last challenge of this YEAR?!?!?!! HOLY CRAP. I AM READY, LET'S GOOOOO~!!!!! (also an accurate depiction of me in the paper plane flying competition at camp nerdfitness. <3)

I've been on NF now since the end of May and have been enjoying following a workout program and actually seeing progress. Now though, I like the idea of actually using a workout program to achieve a goal I've had since I was a teenager which is to be able to dunk. Rather fortuitously, it seems that this should fit in quite well with my existing training regime (especially if I actually manage to start playing a bit more again). I will be following the basic idea from this site : http://www.stack.com/2012/06/25/dunking-program/ Unfortunately I still don't have access to a barbell so won't be able to do back squats, but by following my existing startbodyweight program, I will be able to continue with bodyweight squats, and just add in the Ankle Bounces at the start of every other workout. Realistically I will need to add about 8 inches to my vertical which is not going to happen in a single 6WC challenge, but let's just see where this gets us, or if it's even achievable. Corndogs, Jackie! Corndogs, for all these people! (Main Quest ) Gain 20kg over 18 months, build some actual muscle and get fit enough to complete 1 hour of aerobic exercise without dying. Look Jackie, people can't just go flying into the air like that ! Aim to increase my Jump height with a goal to eventually be able to dunk ! : +1 DEX per inch increase ( ... in jumping - get your minds out of the gutter ...) Get up and run, Coach! - Continue Cardio Days + 2 STA Aim to run or complete some form of cardio or conditioning workout on 'rest' days. I need to keep my motivation up on this, now we've not got any runs coming up. Jackie's teammates doing just an awful job of stabilizing his spine off the court. This recent email from NF spoke to me as it promises increased mobility and reduced back pain so I've signed up. http://jonathanmead.com/squat Complete 30 Day Squat Challenge + 2 CON, + 2 STA I wish you were still a washing machine ! (Life Quest) Mustn't forget to still look after my domestic responsibilities - Aim to build Storage/Seat under Bay window : + 1 WIS, +1 CHA

I've been largely absent of late, due to an uptick in work, as well as the fact that I have started coaching CrossFit. However, the time has come for a new DBL. I feel like today is an appropriate day because I started the introductory cycle of the Smolov squat program today. I have seen claims that it will add up to 100# to your squat in 13 weeks (I'm assuming that applies to novice/early intermediate lifters). I'm going to take the first 6 weeks easy, since it requires squatting relatively heavy 3x/week. To that effect, I entered 90% of my 1-rep max instead of my actual max into the spreadsheet that does the weight programming. After 6 weeks, I will conduct a 1RM test and then begin squatting in earnest. This will be interesting, since the article I read on the program talks about not performing other exercises that use the same muscle groups and ensuring that you get 8+ hours of sleep every night. I intend to keep CrossFitting (though I may scale back a small amount) and I get 5-6 hours of sleep most nights. Clearly something will have to give...I hope this means that I get more sleep. Actual 1RM: 345# 90% of 1RM: 310# Smolov Day 1: 3x8 at 200# 1x5 at 215 2x2 at 235 1x1 at 250 WOD: 7 RFT: 7 S2OH @ 135# 7 BS @ 135 Time: 8:38 So that was 81 squats today.

Hey guys, So I've been doing SL since... January? And I am finally getting up the courage to post a video. Here it is: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B93cyxr3B3C3cVYzQzk5RG5yMUE/view?usp=sharing Any comments welcome. Except about my short shorts, because I needed to do laundry so they were all I had. Note 1: I am going rather low, it's because last time I did a form check (not posted) I was going way too high. So I am temporarily going ATG to just make sure I can. I have trouble knowing if I've hit parallel or not as of now. Note 2: This is a warm-up set, not a working set. Note 3: if clicking on it doesn't work, please copy/paste the url into your browser. I will try harder to fix it when I'm not at work.

Jan 21 I started strong lifts with a 55 lb squat, and Friday I hit a 1 rep PR of 175 lbs. I think I can put a few more lbs on there, but I didn't have a spot and didn't want to make a scene at the gym, lol. I am well on my way to 200 by the end of the year

I came to this miserable conclusion yesterday when I did multiple sets and tried to pinpoint the problem area around my hips for my upcoming physio appointment. I deloaded to 40 and 45 kg (from the 55-60 I had been at previously) and kind of felt around my legs as I squatted. I noticed I still couldn't really feel it in my glutes even though I should, so I decided to video myself. Admittedly I was a bit worn out at that point because it was the fourth or fifths set, but watching that video I wanted to bang my head against the squat rack. For one, I wasn't going until parallel, and two, I leaned down/front quite a lot. My back stayed straight, but it's like my upper back went down the last couple of inches when my butt didn't. //Edit: My inner thighs are quite DOMS-y today, butt isn't. I'm devastated. I thought I knew how to squat, because I did back when I started - I had two people check my form. At some point, something's happened. I don't know if it's physical or psychological, because when I put a box behind me and tried BW box squats with it, and it got me just till parallel. But when I put the barbell on my shoulders, I couldn't make my butt touch the box. Just couldn't. I felt like I'll tip backward if I do - the same feeling might contribute to my excessive leaning to the front. Partially it's because of the problem pain in my groin/front thigh that I'm seeing the physio for, but it wasn't so bad that it would have prevented me from going an inch or two lower. I wanna cry and scream and throw the barbell out of the window. I can't because it's not mine and the gym's below ground level, so I guess I'll just cry. In any case, my physio appointment is tomorrow, hopefully she can help me with that issue. After that, next week, I'll probably have to deload again and figure out how to get over that mind block and squat just a bit lowerkeep my back in a more upwards positionhow to hit the d¤&n glutes (this is super important, because one of the focuses of my soon-to-start bulk is some srs glute mass gainz)start rehabbing whatever's causing that thigh painpick up the shards of my ego and try to glue them back together

Failed before, yada yada yada. That doesn't matter, because it's in the past. And you can either run from it or learn from it. So onwards to this challenge, where I'm just going to use whatever images/gifs I think are appropriate. None of my goals really tie together, either. So this is my random challenge! MAIN GOAL: Don't be the fat kid -Everyone else in my main friend group is in rather good shape, except for me. I'm tired of being the fat one, so I'm going to try and lose enough that I can no longer call myself fat. GOAL ONE: Run -Run 3x per week -Ultimate Goal: Run 5 miles straight by the end of the challenge -Exception: Week 1 (I got sunburned really badly on Sunday and now it hurts to even walk. I'm hoping to still get two runs in this week, but I'm going to play it by ear) -Background: I've run off and on for a few years, and towards the end of last year got to the point where I ran over 6 miles without stopping. Then I quit because it was cold, and now I'm back to barely being able to run a mile. I'm using Zombies, Run! 5k to get back to 3 miles, then I'll go back to the normal app after that. GOAL TWO: Cook -Cook at least one Paleo meal per week (I cook in batches, so it's at least three meals, usually four) -Ultimate Goal: Eat 100% paleo during the week, whatever I want on weekends -Background: I've gone back and forth with both eating paleo and eating nothing but garbage. So my compromise is to eat Paleo during the week and whatever I want on weekends. GOAL THREE: Bend -Squat for 5 minutes per day weeks 1 & 2, 10 for weeks 3 & 4, 15 for weeks 5 & 6 -Foam roll at least 5 days/week -Ultimate Goal: Be able to be comfortable in the bottom of a squat -Background: I have very poor mobility. Nowhere is it more obvious than in my squat, so I clearly need to work on that. Also, my calf has been bothering me while running, and I know I should foam roll more, but never do. So that's part of this now. GOAL FOUR: Russian -Listen to 5 Pimsleur lessons per week -Background: I'm going to Russia at the end of September! I'm really excited about it, but don't know Russian. So I want to try and learn the basics of conversation. I'll also be doing a couple of other things when I can, like Memrise for extra vocab and Rosetta Stone. I also have a text book from which I'm going to try and learn a little bit of grammar. -Ultimate Goal: Be able to speak enough Russian that I will be able to learn while I'm there, rather than just struggling. Or to drink with Putin. Whichever. So that's it for now. Oh, and I'm going to own this challenge.

Hey guys I wanted some your opinions on my squat form. I was also wondering about the arch in my lower back I don't know if I'm over exaggerating this too much and is bad form or is good form. My lower back doesn't hurt either. Also I want your opinions on my bar path if it is totally off or with in the range of acceptable. The bar tracking app I think gets off a little but gives an okay idea for the first rep then you kind of have to eyeball the rest. Thanks. This is a moderate weight for me. https://youtu.be/MSKYiyf2sMk

Short Version: What should the week before testing my 1RM look like? Long Version: I tend to plan things out far in advance. I planned on continuing to focus on strength and cutting out some bodyfat until around the end of November. Currently I do 5/3/1 with BBB 4x/week and run around 10-15 miles most weeks. I understand the basics of the day of warm up to 1RM and how to warm up to that weight. I also think I am going to do a single 1RM a day rather than big 3 in a day comp style. But should I just plan on putting 1RM testing at the end of a deload week just before shifting gears? Oh, I plan on shifting gears to focus more on hypertrophy in the fall when I stop trying to cut fat and focus on muscle. Yes, I know that 1RM doesn't really help me move forward in my training but November will be my anniversary with the barbell. I kinda want to see what I have accomplished in that year.

I was going to skip this challenge because I was beginning a new job, and didn't know how hectic my schedule would be, etc. In other words, Whaaaaa. While I was reading the posts of the other warriors I realized a couple of things. You people are even busier than I am for the most part, if you have time to work on yourselves then so do I. If I have time to read your posts, then I have time to do the work myselfSo no more excuses FOOD – Quit eating like an asshole. This seems to be a theme this challenge and I am no exception. I use My Fitness Pal regularly. I realize what a reasonable portion of most foods look like, and even on days that I splurge my caloric intake tends to be just a little above my TDEE, buuuuut I get fast food on weekends, and I get ice cream because my husband has some and I’m jealous, or I get into my daughter’s candy because I am PMSing. There is a whole list of excuses and those excuses are why I still have a pudgy belly. So my food goal for this challenge is: Mindful eating – stop and think before I eat, have some tea or ice water with lime before indulging in sweets. Wait at least 20 minutes before getting a second helping. EXERCISE – Step up the strength training My strength training is starting to scare me, simply because I have never squatted this heavy before. I am at a 125 lb squat, which for a 150 lb female is not heavy, but it is the heaviest I have ever done. I have a pattern of working up to 120-125, skipping a week or so, deloading and then working back up to 125. I commit to lifting consistently during this challenge. I’m currently lifting once a week; my goal is to lift three times a week. I want to get stronger and I am ok with the weight increasing slowly, but in order to get the gains I need to do the work. LIFE – Book/Blog I love Child Development, I have given parenting classes and will talk for hours about all things related to children, learning and teaching. I have ideas bouncing around in my brain that want to be a book, but I haven’t been brave enough to put them to paper yet. I came across a quote that says, “You can’t edit a blank page.†and that is going to be my motto for this challenge. I am going to write a section of my book or a blog post once a week. I may not publish them right away, but I’m going to get them down on paper. LIFE – House Like a lot of other rebels, my living environment could be better. My husband and I are good about cleaning the kitchen daily (he calls them his Wife Faction dailies) but deeper cleaning and organization has slacked off. I have a Wunderlist set up for tasks around the house and I’m going to commit to doing one item off that list daily. Most of them are little things like vacuuming the living room or folding the t-shirts that have been living in a laundry basket for a month, so they are quick and easy to do.

Please give me feedback on my deadlift form. Thanks. https://youtu.be/p2U7cX-ydWU