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Happy New Year folks! I completed a four week challenge over the festivities though not being great with foods, I kept up most of the exercises so am happy with that. I'm back up to 12 stone (was a few lbs under a month ago) but that's to be expected, and my main goals are to lose bodyfat and get stronger. THE CHALLENGE (running six weeks from today) Exercise: Run before work (M-F) up a nearby hill: 0.7m total with ~50ft incline Pilates before work (M-F) the Hundred with straight legs ribcage closure every 20 beats Weight training, 3x10reps of each unless stated: Monday PUSH: Bench press, Military press, Table dips Wednesday PULL: Gym ring pull up angled with bent knees, 3x 5sec Pull-up hold, Barbell rows Thursday LEGS: Squat, Lunge, Romanian Deadlift Pilates class Monday evenings - youtube class otherwise Walking: Office days: to the station and over the river at the other end (~2mile total) WfH and non-work days: 2 miles min, ideally in daylight Teethbrushing squat: held for 2+min Cycle once a week Foods: Tracking 1600 calories on mfp, days that may scupper: 8th January: Afternoon tea with the quartet 15th January: Burns Night evening That's it at the moment but I'm sure more things will come up! Other: Stop scrolling crap on my phone before bed Read instead! POINTS AND SCORING Complete all morning and evening workouts in a week (run, hundred, squat) = 100pts Complete all weight sessions and pilates in a week = 100pts Complete 2 miles of walking every day = 100pts for the week Cycle once a week = 50pts Any missed sessions, the week will be scored at my discretion based on how well I did otherwise. Max exercise points = 2100pts Under calories every day for a week = 100 points Under calories six days out of the week = 75 points Under calories five days out of the week = 50 points Day over 1600 but under 1700 = minus 5 points Day over 1600 but stayed relatively health = minus 10 points Day over 1600 and splurged = minus 25 points Two weeks under cals in a row = 50 bonus pts All six weeks under = 50 extra bonus pts Max food points = 900pts No phone scrolling before bed: 100pts for 7/7 days, 75pts for 6/7 days, 50% for 5/7 days Read instead of phone crap: 50pts for at least 4/7 days Two weeks in a row = 20 bonus points Max better bedtime points = 1000pts Total possible points = 4000pts

Oh hai there, how are you? I am very pleased that this got saved as a draft from yesterday! My last challenge was named incorrectly thanks to me not knowing how to find my historical info (oops) so correcting this to 21st. I successfully completed my last challenge with 85% and levelled up, woop! Main goals as ever: reduce body fat % and get stronger (should probably actually check my current bf%). I would also LOVE to be under 12 stone by the end of the challenge, currently 12.5. Existing good habits: Run before work (M-F) up a nearby hill: 0.7m total with ~50ft incline I've been switching to a short walk pre-hill which I'd like to not do Pilates before work (M-F) the Hundred with straight legs ribcage closure every 20 beats I'm happy keeping this as is Weight training, 3x10reps of each unless stated: Monday PUSH: Bench press, Military press, push-ups (elbows in, on knees) Wednesday PULL: Gym ring pull up angled with bent knees, 10x Negative chin-ups, Barbell rows Thursday LEGS: Squat, Lunge, Romanian Deadlift Pilates class most Monday evenings Walking: Office days: to the station and over the river at the other end (~2mile total) WfH days: 2 miles at lunch or after work Sat/Sun: 2 miles min Teethbrushing squat: Basically my evening teethbrushing I do a held squat for 2min I have also just got a bicycle, so would like to incorporate this! THE CHALLENGE Exercise: Pre-work run: move to cutting the 'walk' so my final week of the challenge is all run Pre-work pilates hundred - improve form Weight training - carry on carrying on Pilates class OR 1hr online makeup class during the week Evening squat: move to squatting lower and/or holding for longer Walk to the station and over the river every office working day (2 miles) Walk 2 miles every WfH lunchtime/after work Walk 2 miles every Saturday and Sunday Cycle at least once a week (any distance!) Foods: Continue on mfp tracking 1600 calories a day. From today up to 28th November I currently have the following things which are likely to scupper/lead to overeating: 24th Oct: Niece's birthday party, usually full of buffet food, cakes and biscuits (this will be tough) 31st Oct: Boardgaming at a friends, which usually involves takeaway - might be doable 6-7th Nov: I might be going away for the weekend, but as yet undecided so we shall see 10th Nov: Theme Park day - I'm hoping I can make a packed lunch and not buy snacks I think that's it. And I think all of these are pretty much manageable, except this Sunday where all the sugar. POINTS AND SCORING Complete all morning and evening workouts in a week (run, hundred, squat) = 100pts Complete all weight sessions and pilates in a week = 100pts Complete 2 miles of walking every day = 100pts for the week Any of the above missed get NIL PWA, but I can make them back for 75pts instead Cycle once a week = 50pts Max exercise points = 2100pts Under calories every day for a week = 100 points Under calories six days out of the week = 75 points Under calories five days out of the week = 50 points Day over 1600 but under 1700 = minus 5 points Day over 1600 but stayed relatively health = minus 10 points Day over 1600 and splurged = minus 25 points Two weeks under cals in a row = 50 bonus pts All six weeks under = 50 extra bonus pts Max food points = 900pts Total possible points = 3000pts

I'm posting a video of my squats from last night for form checks. I lifted years ago although squats were always the worst of the big 3 for me. I posted form check videos then and found out I was doing half squats. I was considerably thinner then (meaning my belly wasn't in the way) and I started working on form but didn't ever get my numbers up. Every time I stepped up to the bar, I'd tell myself it was going to be too much weight and I couldn't do it. Eventually I quit going to the gym and worrying about nutrition and have gained the 100 lbs I lost back. Fast forward to a month ago, I decided to start working at it again. I chose to do keto and GSLP (though the keto has since stopped because of gout issues. I'm just focusing on eating "clean" and nutrient dense foods) and began working on squats again. GSLP prescribes 2 sets of 5, followed by an AMRAP set for the squat. If you can do 10 or more squats in the AMRAP, you increase the weight by 10 lbs at the next session rather than 5. I was getting 10 lbs in each one (I started at 95 lbs working weight and got up to 165lbs). Over the course of a few weeks, I started to feel pain in my knee following squats. One day, I almost collapsed when walking down a flight of stairs because it felt like my knee gave out. It hurt to walk or bend, and so I decided to take a week off from squats. After the first week off, I began focusing on the muscles that work with the knee (glutes, calves, and quads) by doing hip abductions, leg press (one legged) and bodyweight calf raises as well as focusing on stretching. I also added in bodyweight squats to try and get the foot placement down while rebuilding strength. Last week, I started at 95lbs on the bar again and am increasing by 5lbs instead of 10 (even if I get 10 or more reps) so I can make the increase more gradual instead of overdoing it with the knee. Having watched the video, it looks like I'm not quite going to parallel so I need to work on that. Torso position is also a challenge because I'm 6'2" (188cm) and 334lbs (151.4999kg) with long legs, so getting to depth has been a problem. I think my hip mobility and ankle mobility are contributing factors. It's not apparent from the video, but I have my feet slightly wider than shoulder width with toes pointed at 11 and 1. I'm using a low bar squat because it helps with my balance and my ability to keep my torso upright during the lift instead of having to bend over at the bottom. If you could give any pointers to improve further, that would be great!

Hey folks, sorry if this is something that has been covered before! I want to do more barbell stuff in the gym - especially squats/deadlifts. The biggest struggle I have (and one of my fears of the barbell zone) is dropping the weight. Particularly when squatting, I find that it is very difficult to hold the barbell in place across my back when I add any weight and it feels as though I need to spend a long time working on my upper body strength before I can hold enough on the bar to squat a decent amount of weight. Has anyone else experienced this/have any tips?? thanks in advance!

Welcome to the Nerd Fitness Squat Leaderboard. Below you will find the top Squat lifts (that have been reported) on the Nerd Fitness forum organized by Wilkes Points. For more information about the Wilkes Coefficient, go here. The following are the rules for using the Nerd Fitness Leaderboards. You must have at least 50 posts - We don't want random people just showing up and posting just to be on the Leaderboards. If you don't have 50 posts yet, be an active member and come back when you do. You must have been active in the last 6 months - This is meant to be for active members. If you are not active for 6 months, you will be removed. If you once again become active, you are more than welcome to post your new PRs and join back up! Your lifts must be current - No posting 'This was my lift 2 years ago'. All lifts must have been completed since joining NF. You must update your lift at least once every 2 years to stay on the Leaderboards. - Similar to the previous point, we want the Leaderboards to be current. Therefore, entries that are older then 2 years old will be pruned. Weights should be reported in KG, not pounds. - This is the weight system power lifting competitions use. If pounds are your mass measurement of choice, just multiply your total by 0.454 to find the equivalent mass in kilograms. Yes, I know pounds are a unit of force, but you know we use it like mass when it comes to body weight. You can report a weight in a set that you've done. - You will only be given credit for the weight you lifted in terms of the leaderboard (i.e. if you did 100kg for 5 reps, you'd only be given credit for 100kg on the leadreboard). That said, if you provide a set with reps, I will calculate the an estimated 1RM for you. Just check out that column after I get the entry updated. If you'd like to be put on the Leaderboards, please reply this this thread with the following information: Gender Bodyweight Weight Lifted and number of reps (typically your 1RM) Also, if you enter any of the NF Virtual Lifting Competitions, entries for those will be migrated to the Leaderboards (only if it improves your Wilkes score). I will try to update the Leaderboard after each challenge and/or virtual lifting competition. If things haven't updated in awhile, harass me via PM (profile can be found here). Note: leaderboard only shows in your web browser and not on tapatalk

At long, long last, my squat form looks decent, so my primary goal for this challenge will be to build it back up. Technically, I started that last week, but I had friends in town last weekend, and I knew that would have gotten in the way of getting my goals done, had I set them. I'll leave my other goals the same, but I might swap out bedtime or mobility for something more interesting if I can get my thoughts together. Goals Retain good squat form while working through a linear progression. I'll be doing this pretty aggressively, but I don't want to get sloppy. I got up to 175 lbs. last week but didn't do it for sets across. I don't have a starting number from tonight, because I was super tired from staying up late this weekend and decided to make this a rare Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday week. Do mobility work every day. This will still be the squat-focused exercises I got from PT in most cases. Get to bed by 11:30 pm 5 days each week. Work on SICP for at least an hour and a half each week. One day has to be a weekday. I've been thinking that I should try to inject a little more novelty into my life, and I'd kind of like to make one of these related to that, but I haven't formulated a useful goal yet.

I'm still trying to do the same stuff as last time, because I still have the same problems as last time. Goals Squat some weight for 3 sets of 5 with perfect form. I said just the bar last time, but my bar path does seem to get better when I put some weight on. Ideally, I would be able to get in a balanced position without any weight on my back at all, but if my form starts to look good while I'm still warming up and stays that way, that seems like something I could work with. I was hoping that I wouldn't have to keep this as a goal. On Friday, I did back squats with more than 135 for the first time in like 2 months. In general, they looked a lot better than they had before, and when I got up to 185, they actually looked really good. I probably should have stopped there, because 205 was a little worse but still as good as I can remember. Then, today, even though it seemed like I was doing the exact same stuff, they looked a lot worse. So this is what I'm doing again. Get to bed by 11:30 pm 5 nights each week. I've been doing a pretty good job with this, but I probably still need some more time to solidify the habit. Do mobility work every day. My PT has now entered a phase where this really doesn't take much time. It's just a matter of remembering to do it. Work on SICP for 1.5 hours over the course of at least 2 days each week. At least one of the days has to be a weekday, because leaving the whole thing until the weekend doesn't seem to work well for me.

The same thing we do every challenge, Pinky. Try to squat correctly! I may made a challenge with this title before. Previously, I attempted to get my bar path over my mid-foot by just sitting back more. I believe these attempts caused me to over-extend my lower back, which may have resulted in my inflamed facet joint, in response to which I am currently seeing a PT. That stopped hurting a few weeks ago, but I also haven't squatted more than the bar in I think over a month. I haven't squatted what I would consider to be heavy in I think the better part of 3 months. I really want to be squatting again, but I don't want to just hurt myself again, so I need to do it right. Goals Squat with the bar for 3 sets of 5 with perfect form. My entire spine should be in a neutral position. My knees should track over my feet. The bar should stay over my mid-foot the entire time. My thighs should reach just below parallel. My feet should stay flat on the floor. Do mobility work every day. I've been pretty good about this for the past few weeks, but it is important enough to my first goal to make it a goal in its own right. Get to bed by 11:30 pm on 5 nights every week. I started setting an alarm to get ready for bed last week, and it seems to be working fairly well. Work on SICP on at least 2 days each week for a total of at least an hour and a half.

I have mentioned a few times that i have been creating a tradition during the holidays at the end of the year. Last year i did a challenge on boxing day. The 50/50 squat challenge. Squat 50 reps with a barbell that weighs 50% of your bodyweight. This year i want to expand it a little and do the 50/50 squats on Xmas-day, and do a 50/50 deadlift challenge on Boxing day. For some this will be too much to handle, for some this would be pretty easy. For me it's pretty spot on (at least for the squats, for the deadlift i don't know yet). XMAS: 50 Squats 50% Bodyweight Boxing day: 50 Deadlifts 50% Bodyweight Last year i streamed it on FB. I will try do the same thing this year. On both days. So if anyone wants to join me feel free. You can adjust it any way you like, only got dumbbells use them for squatting and deadlifting, can only do 10% go for it. Just a few rules: I'm preferring reps over weight. I would rather see 50 airsquats than 40 reps with a loaded barbell. Try to pick something that's hard but doable. Leave a post here if you intent to join i'll add you to the list of people who have pledged to do this Try to make a video and upload it here after you're done. Safety comes first, don't injure yourself with this, it's all just for fun! The idea behind this is that these days usually are so incredibly passive. This (even though it is by no means a full workout) will make you at least do something and i am certain it will give you a great sense of accomplishment. I'll kick it off with my livestream of last years edition: https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1440244066015561&id=100000899440167 (okay, now i that i've actually watched the livefeed it seems i just did a regular 3x10 on boxing day) Pledglings: @Mr_Willes @Morag @WhiteGhost @Raxie @Terra @Wild Wolf ... ... ...

For today, I lowered the safety pins one notch to encourage me to go lower. I am trying to focus on pushing more through my heels. I'm keeping my squat weight at 170 lbs while I work on form (at least through this week). Stronglifts wants me at 185 (if I were still following linear progression). Similarly, I'm keeping OHP at 90 for the same reasons. 170 lb squat apologies on the false start. Unracked the weight and it just didn't feel right. In review, it looks like I could go a little deeper. Push my ascot out a little bit more to try and stay over heels on the way down (am I looking at that right) 90 lb OHP Think I'm getting better at tightening up. I know I'm still arching back near the end. Also, saw that my toes came up (guessing its related to arched back) 220 lb deadlift I saw definite rounding of my back. Will work on that Friday. Also saw that it didn't look like I "locked out" on the 3rd rep (shoulders were still forward). Had to stop (~1 minute) after 3rd rep cause it felt like fingers were going to rip off my hands. I did go back and get the last two reps, but didn't get recorded. I think I had trouble locking out those last two. Am I looking at these right? Trying to learn how to critique myself in addition to letting the brothers in arms see. Thanks!

Hello everyone! Starting as I mean to go on, slowly (very slowly), with a lifting log here to throw out my programme with anyone who wants to follow my lifting journey. I'm an Irish guy in my mid twenties, living and lifting in Ireland. I eat all sorts of potatoes, sup all kinds of pints and am passionate about strength training and in general getting better than I was yesterday If you want to follow my journey that'd be cool. I'm about 80 Kilos at 5'9 and prepping for my first powerlifting comp in March, where I'm hoping to hit the following numbers: Deadlift: 440 lbs Squat: 374 lbs Bench: 275 Today I worked up to a max top set of 1x215lbs on the bench and dropped back to 4x5 @ 176 lbs. No touch and go, no ego, just me trying to be less weak than I am. This was followed by one arm rows, incline pressing, front raising and bro curls. I was training in the first gym I ever stepped into, where I once struggled to deadlift 135 lbs, and it was pretty cool to come back a little bit stronger. Anyways, that's all for now, nice to meet you you all and I'll check in tomorrow for some post squat follow-ups. Peace, The Irish lad

Grandkai's doing Assassin stuff (part 1/2) Previous challenge didn't go so well, but giving it another shot so here are my BIG goals for the last 2 months of this year. BIG Goal 1: Do a Handstand; - Everyday #5 Minute Flow - Everyday Headstand training & progress to Handstand - 3x a week Startbodyweight Routine to build strength. BIG Goal 2: Do a Split; - Do the Darebee "Splits in 30 Days" challenge -1x a week Yoga class - Everyday 30/30 challenge by Ido Portal BIG Goal 3: Reduce Unhealthy foods; - Block Food Ordering websites. - NO more quick trips to the store after work for unhealthy foods. - Buy protein bars/powder to supplement nutrition. Side Goal: 100% Rayman Origins on Xbox

I'm doing pretty much what I was doing last time, except hopefully better. Fix my squat form. This has improved in the past 5 weeks or so, but I still want to get to the point where I can do a heavy set of 5 and be confident that they will be over my mid-foot. Do yoga twice a week. Get in bed by 11:30 pm 5 nights each week. Work on SICP for at least 30 minutes on Tuesday or Thursday night and at least 30 minutes on Saturday or Sunday. Tuesday and Thursday worked pretty well last time, so I want to expand this. None of my weekly goals are allowed to borrow from future weeks. I've found that doesn't encourage responsible behavior.

Keeping it simple. 1) Time to Cut: Drop to an average of 2600 calories per day by the end of the challenge I haven't been on a (major) cut since I left for Camp back in September. By and large, I've figured out that at 3,000 calories a day my body is pretty content to hover around 210 pounds, with a gut measurement of 36.5 inches. I'm less concerned about the weight this time, but I'm not feeling that gut measurement. At my thinnest I was measuring a hair under 35.5", and ideally I'd be slightly under 35" and in the 15% bodyfat range. I'm just feeling doughy around the middle more than I'd like. Add in the fact that mid-June I have a wedding I want to look extra spiffy at, and I think now is a good time to see how my body handles a cut. Also I now understand why cuts are terrible, because I'm ravenous at 2500 calories usually these days, so this is going to go a bit on the slow side. Week 1 I want to angle for about 2800-2900 calories a day. Week 2 I want to angle for 2700-2800 calories a day. Week three I should be hitting between 2600-2700 calories. And that last week I should be more around 2600 pretty consistently or lower. Going to measure my weight twice a week (Sunday and Wednesday) for tracking purposes, and also my gut measurement once a week. Nothing too crazy. 2) Back to the Grind: Three Non-aikido workouts a week The last month and a half has been not exactly ideal for me in terms of my regularly scheduled life. I was injured, then traveling, then sick, then training for the exam, then sick again. Today marks the first time I've lifted in almost 2 weeks. Prior to that I had lifted only once about two weeks before then. But we are also getting really nice weather now, so I may start rucking again through the woods instead of lifting on Monday and Friday like I normally would. Still aiming for 5-7 aikido classes, but that's been constant for the last 5 years, so I don't exactly see that changing any time soon. 3) Getting Deep: Squat mobility every day Jonathon Mead is one of the Headmasters I met at Camp NF. Awesome guy, and very big on getting people outside and moving and being natural. Very MoveNat-like. He recently posted a Primal Squat mobility guide for free. I've always felt my squat and my depth were the weakest part of my lifts, so I figured I'd sign up and give it a whirl. Goal is to do this every morning of the challenge, probably just before my coffee/while the kettle is heating up. I figure that should give me plenty of time to do the routine and then I get the coffee after the fact as a reward. Mmmm. Coffee. 4) Anti-Hermit: Stop Hermiting as much Okay, doing something super different and challenging for me. My anxiety has been through the roof (shocking, I know). It has mostly impacted my sleeping in terms of insomnia and really obnoxious amounts of sleep to be a functional human. I also am aware that I hermit pretty hard in the best of times. One shocking thing I've noticed is that now and again, I actually like being able to see my friends. I guess I'll credit @Big_Show with the revelation, since this dawned on me while I was having a skype chat with him not long ago. So my goal is to be social and/or have two skype chats/hangouts with people a week. The skype hangouts are pretty low key even for me, and shockingly seem to do a large amount of good for my introvert mental state. Weird. Also I'm not allowed to count going to aikido as being social, unless I actually go out with people afterwards. Driving people home does not count in this regard. So yea. Something simultaneously not crazy AND crazy for me this time around. Imagine that. Doing a challenge properly. Weird.

Still reeling from my Feelings on this game. So, that's the theme music. Deal with it. So, basically, I've been struggling with balance. Sleep and food and weights and martial arts. It's a lot of fun, but the truth is, I want to skew more toward martial arts. And, looking down the line, one other thing that I'm going to want to do is to get into flexibility training. Right now, there's no way that the current schedule is going to let that happen. Also, I'm about as heavy as I was back in high school, and it's not muscle that's making the difference. I want to fix that. I looked into all the various things I'm doing, and I've realized that there is a way to do it, but it's going to involve a pretty radical shift. It's going to involve stepping off of Leangains, setting my own calories and macros, adjusting 5/3/1 to 2x/week, and adjusting GB to fit that, as well as making sure that I get enough sleep. Fortunately, this isn't even remotely impossible. I remember the past experiments and what they've taught me. And I think I can do it. To be clear, it's gonna be tough. But I spent most of last night hyped up on the idea and brushing up on the things that I think I know. I think I can make this work. But it's going to involve a lot of discipline and some effort on the front end as I adjust the things. But I genuinely think there are rewards to be gained from trying this. I think I'll be able to do Judo on Wednesdays again, and the habit of going back there will make further training possible. I also think I'll be able to avoid the wait at the... weight... racks, and just be able to focus on going out and kicking butt and taking names. And hey, who knows? I might just be able to finally find my way to the not-Kali that we offer at the dojo. And maybe even getting this writing ish figured out too. So. Here are the goals. They're training goals... except they're life goals too. Hooo boy. GOAL 1: HOMEBREWED INTERMITTENT FASTING Caloric average set at 1950. Macros adjusted to suit, based on past experimentation that has shown me what my body responds to. GOAL 2: PRACTICE Monday: Rest Tuesday: KB snatches/GB(SLS) and Karate Wednesday: GB(Core) and Judo Thursday: S&S/GB(Upper Body) and Karate Friday: 5/3/1 BP and DL Saturday: S&S/GB(Handstand) Sunday: 5/3/1 Squat and OHP Now, this looks like a lot. And that's because it is, in fact, a lot. But it's not as much as it looks like. Most of this is actually over and done with pretty fast - anywhere from 5-20 minutes. The stuff that takes longer is slated to take place on days when the time should exist for those things to be done with their due diligence. These adjustments have been made based on my observations of the gym's peak times as well - Wednesday is a stupid-busy time to do barbell training, for instance, so compensate by doing something quick that doesn't require any equipment at all. By contrast, Friday and Sunday are relatively dead times, and I've never had trouble getting a rack on those days. I also think that doing 5/3/1 twice per week feels more Soviet anyway. Wendler says that there's no need to do deloads unless "you need to" and that frees me to wave my training up or down based on the input that my body is giving me. Honestly, the trickiest part about this is the nutritional aspect. I've stacked it so that I have a lot of lower calorie days, with Friday and Sunday being the days for lots of calories. It's not as crazy as it sounds, though - work loves to feed me, coworkers love to feed me, fam loves to feed me, and there is food everywhere. Honestly, it's pretty rare for me to have a week go by the way I plan it, so I've basically planned for it to go sideways. BRING IT. GOAL 3: CLEANLINESS Get the room cleaned up. Get the gi taken care of. Get the extra clothes gone. Get some frickin' sleep. (what. sleep hygiene is a thing). With the sleep in particular, I want to make a point of getting down to bed before midnight on the weekends. I just don't gain anything by being up that late, but I do lose a lot of time and momentum. GOAL 4: WRITE So, hey guys, writing characters is actually forcing me to think and dig into my story and it's making me better. But, I'm still struggling with consistency. Like always. So, we're going to make this stupid-easy - just work on one character every day. It can be the same character if it has to be, but Always Be Character...ing? Welcome to English, where everything's made up and the grammar don't matter. And with that, we enter into what might be the strangest adventure yet.

I've got my girlfriend into lifting, and she loves the basic approach of Bench Press, Barbell Squat, and Deadlift. She wants to lose weight and get stronger. The problem we are seeing is that even with rigidly proper form, she experiences severe knee pain after only a few reps of her Squats. Even without weight, her knees start to give her problems. My question is what kind of alternative exercises or possibly rehabilitative movements I can suggest to her to still work similar muscle groups and hopefully get her squatting properly. Fitness Goals Exercise Preference Body weight 220 Power lifts Bench Press, Squat, Deadlift Olympic lifts Current Physical Stats Gender Female Age 26 Height 5 foot 4 Weight 220 Previous Training History Past Programs Kettebell presses and Swings How long 6 months to a year Current Training Present Program Monday: Bench Press 5 sets of 5 reps Wednesday: Squat 5 sets of 5 reps(currently limited or even canceled per this issue) Friday: Deadlift 5 sets of 5 reps Every Day: Handstand training (currently able to hold a 45 second full push-up position plank, working toward 60 seconds before starting wall walks) How long 2 weeks Current working weights Bench Press: 65 (working toward 5x5) Squat: 45 (sets/reps in question per this issue) Deadlift: 45 (working toward 5x5) Current Diet Mostly Paleo (80/20 with the occasional soda or grain based food) Daily Calories Not counting Daily Macros Not using Current Resources/Limitations Gym Access Bench Press and Squat Rack in apartment Pull Up Bar/Dip Station/Leg Lift Station "Power Tower" in apartment Adjustable Dumbell Pair up to 50 punds each Kettlebells of 25, 35, and 50 pounds. Work/School Schedule Mon-Fri 7-3:30 Time Allowed Approximately 3 hours on weeknights and all day on weekends.

I am sick so this is a super rough draft of this until I am feeling less like death. DAMN YOU IMMUNE SYSTEM AND STUPID SINUSES! Going for something like: Goals: GOAL 1- STRENGTH Strength training at least 3x per week! this can be bodyweight training, aerial, or lifting. OPTIONS, YO. (Want to get in pull work, push work, core work, and SQUATS because I have been neglecting squats and push lately since I no longer work with a powerlifting trainer who makes me do this stuff. And I actually LIKE push ups, so that should be easy to make myself do?) GOAL 2 - RUNNING Running 1x per week! Assuming this rain-pocalypse chills the F out this should be easily do-able. (Would like to ramp this up to 2X per week eventually but lets start small, yo!) GOAL 3 - MACROS Track macros on weekdays for duration of challenge! I am trying to dial this in for a bit again to make sure I am getting enough of the right things. I am chronically under on overall calories and lately I have been craving pasta like OMG PASTA. Once I started tracking a bit and eating more protein that seemed to help a bit. (Although also I think getting some damn SUNLIGHT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD would be helpful. I actually ordered a light therapy lamp so I can give myself some artificial sun time when we don't get sun because WTF CA we have had days upon days with no direct sun and it's seriously effecting my mood. I looked into it and SAD can actually cause weird shifts in dietary cravings as well, particularly a crazed desire for carbs, on top of the emotional shit sooo strongly suspecting I has this but it has literally never come up before because I live somewhere that is obnoxiously sunny 90% of the time... USUALLY!) Life Goal: GET SHIT DONE! I have a huge list of stuff to get done (which is in progress to add here!) Goal is to get ONE of these things on my list done per week. LIST OF LISTYNESS: Gather 1 bag of stuffed animals or clothes for donations or to trash because no one wants it (depending on the stuff!) I gathered 3 total! Yay! Move a box of books into the closet. Disassemble your old desk. Trash/Get rid of old desk. Move air conditioner to correct spot once desk is gone. Set up new air conditioner once moved. Move furniture around in more useful configuration. (Even moving one thing or like, coming up with some schemes will count for this.) Come up with better way to organize clothes and make things more accessible (this will also be a big process.) Deal with water-bottle graveyard in my car -- partially! Reseal leaking window on the studio appt DO TAXES/ Do house finances/rental income info spreadsheet for me and brother Anywho, LETS DO DIS!!

Hi all, can you please look at this squat form check video for me - any help would be massively appreciated! I know it doesn't look right, but I don't know what to do to solve that. Is there something I can be doing to improve form here, or is the weight just to heavy for me?

Coming back off a long respite of back squats. Been doing solely goblet squats, split squats, and front squats for about a year due to a lack of ankle mobility. i can not sit in a bodyweight ATG squat with my heels on the floor. These felt really good. i know my back angle is more acute than "preferred" but i think this is just where I'm going to be comfortable given my body type. I wanted to know what you guys thought. i realize the first rep is just me making sure i'm getting below parallel. also sorry i'm going so fast. the weight was definitely light for me.

Hey, this was the first time I ever recorded myself working out, so I am not sure the angle is very helpful (empty gym, etc). This was my second set @60kgs and my knees caved in some in the second rep. Comments?

NEW CHALLLENGE! Oh My God So Excited ... This is just a placeholder, though. I'll be back later today. Just wanted to let you all know what you're in for.

I'm not sure if this is technically a "form check" but a 12 week program I'm following lists the Hack Squat and I'm seeing two slightly different forms and trying them they felt vastly different. I was wondering if someone could explain the difference between the two forms. Why is the hack squat with raised heels so much harder to perform? To perform a hack squat hold the barbell behind your back, squat down, then back up. The difference comes in either performing the squat flat footed (like this picture) or with plates under your heels (like so). I originally started by doing them flat footed since that is what was shown in the youtube video accompanying my 12 week program, but I kept scraping the barbell along my calves at the bottom of the lift and my hamstrings at the top so I thought raising my heels might solve the problem. It did, but now my legs felt instantly exhausted and I couldn't pinpoint where I wore out. I should point out that I was supersetting my hack squats with walking lunges so I was going from 20 walking lunges straight into doing 15 hack squats. Well, I was supposed to anyways. If you look at the below the first two columns are flat footed and the second two columns are with a raised heel. reps X lbs SS1: Walking Lunges 20x35 20x35 20x35 20x35 SS1: Barbell Hack Squats 15x50 15x70 5x70 10x50

Hello I filmed myself for the first time today. Lately, as I've been increasing weight, I've felt my chest may be collapsing (goodmorning style) and depth just wasn't there. I've gone down 20% on my weight as I hit my first plateau, and am building back up trying to focus even more on breath, depth, and overall form. I'm actually pretty happy, it doesn't look nearly as bad as it did in my head! I'd love to get feedback on those areas, and any other aspects I might be missing. https://www.dropbox.com/s/y7hp1epogcsh0eo/Squats 5x125 0814.mp4?dl=0 Thanks in advance!

This was done with no belt and no wraps. It's 325lb's. I thought it looked really good at first but then went back and noticed the lower back flexion on the way up. I'm attributing this to going lower than parallel and lacking glute/ham strength. This is a pretty big PR anyway since I just started lowbar squatting without wraps/belt to tighten everything up! Look okay though?

From my 4 Week Challenge thread: Squat (second form check, toes turned out more) Deadlift (standard) Deadlift (sumo stance) Benchpress (powerlifting stance)