A huge difference in DL vs squat is usually not due to lats, it's likely form that could use improvement or a weakness or inflexibility in other joints (e.g. knees or hips). I suspect you may be bending over at the waist more in the squat than you should. If you're at a 500+ dead you should be comfortably in the 4s on squat.
Do you favor a conventional or sumo deadlift stance?
brandonsmash said:A huge difference in DL vs squat is usually not due to lats, it's likely form that could use improvement or a weakness or inflexibility in other joints (e.g. knees or hips). I suspect you may be bending over at the waist more in the squat than you should. If you're at a 500+ dead you should be comfortably in the 4s on squat.
Do you favor a conventional or sumo deadlift stance?
Conventional. My last 1RM for squats looked like an ugly grinded out good morning lol.
fatallightning said:Conventional. My last 1RM for squats looked like an ugly grinded out good morning lol.
There's your problem. You're doing a good morning, not a squat.
E36 M3s and giggles, decided to do some weighted pull ups. Jumped straight to +25lbs thinking "we'll see..."
Proceeded to crush 3 sets of 5 reps.
One year in, roughly. 52 years old. Taking a long term perspective has me showing up to 90% of my planned workouts and the only ones I skipped were when I was either sick or recovering from weeks of lifting. I just had a week where I skipped because I thought I had a cold, tuned out to be allergies. Back on the allergy pills and I showed up this morning to lift. Starting last year my basics were Bench, struggling 95 x1 , Squat 135 x1, Deadlift 155 x1. Using modified Ice Cream workout (beginners) all 12 months it's a simple 5x5, I'm sitting at Bench 175 x5, Squat 250 x5, Deadlift 250 x5. I'm very happy with my results so far, due to age I lift 3 x week and that lets me recover enough where I only take an extra day off every 3 to 4 weeks. Today I added an extra 5 sets of flys and will keep those on Friday and add an extra 5 sets of curls on Wednesdays next week as accessories. Since I get up at 0445 to lift I added a 200mg caffeine pill to my morning regimen 6 months ago and it helped. I found out how much it helped when I forgot to take it last Monday and was not feeling quite as awesome at the end of the workout. Today I took 400mg to observe the effect. I like it more than 200mg. Also I work out fasted and have the entire year due to when I wake up. I've found I prefer it. I actually have taken some sessions in the afternoon due to life (I know right?) and found that I can lift heavier and longer in the afternoon but I stay with the am schedule so I can do life stuff the rest of the day and not have to worry about when I can fit the workout in.
I finally healed my shoulder injury from 2016 this year, I'd like to give my chiropractor credit but it really made no progress until I discovered hanging on youtube. Simply put you hang from a pullup bar for 3 to 6 minutes daily or every other day. It has allowed me to fully incorporate overhead press into the routine instead of skipping that and doing an extra flat bench press. Overall, I feel 20 times better (or more) than I did without lifting. My joints don't ache anymore unless I force them to, it's been a huge relief. I have a plan. Just sticking to the plan and continuing. Looking forward to another year. Basic stats, 6 ft tall last year 235 lbs, now 223 lbs. Weight wise my goal is 190-200 but no time frame and I don't plan to do any cut at all so if I stall out at some point on weight loss I'll continue to lift and not worry about it. Otherwise I'm just going to keep adding weight to my lifts slowly and throw in some accessory routines for 4 to 8 weeks starting in a couple months.
Anyone have a good hangboard recommendation? For an apartment, so something with minimal collateral damage from mounting would be ideal.
i looked on amazon and a lot of the inexpensive ones seem to be made from crap wood with a varnish that is too slick. Surely there is a Miata of hangboards in the rock climbing world?
In reply to prodarwin :
Anything that is sturdy enough for you to hang and maybe do a couple more explosive moves (pull-ups, swings, etc.) will require solid mounting. You're not going to get away without mounting to studs.
That being said, I have the Metolius Simulator 3D and it's been great for me.
Oh I'll definitely mount to studs, but ideally it's not berkeleying up the paint. When I remove it I'd like to just be left with 2-4 holes in the wall.
my concern is E36 M3ty wood and other materials will actual soak/bond into the paint surface then tear it away when you remove it.
In reply to prodarwin :
That's easy then: Back the hangboard with a layer of Neoprene before you screw it into studs.
brandonsmash said:That being said, I have the Metolius Simulator 3D and it's been great for me.
Same here.
I've got mine mounted to a a 2x12 with a pair of hooks on the back so that I can hang it on and take it off my power rack. In an apartment, I'd probably mount to a wood back board and put that into studs above a door frame.
Local climbing gym has a lot of wood hangboards, too. Looking on REI, the good ones cost almost as much as the resin ones.
Lower back isn't fully recovered from weeks ago. Not up for loading it for heavy squats or deadlifts. Having to adapt.
So I've been working pistol squats.
I'm up to sets of 11. I'm doing them from the ground, full depth, and keeping my balance the whole time. Feeling pretty proud of that.
In reply to Beer Baron 🍺 :
Nice! I don't think the pistol squat is given enough credit considering the coordination AND strength required to pull one off properly, let alone 11. I'm still progressing to get full depth on pistols. I jumped ahead to try it out without warming up and caused some knee problems that lasted a couple months. I was able to get it fine with my right leg, but not with the left. Apparently my knees were pointing in which is a big no no. After that I decided to take my time using a "pedestal" where my butt hits before I go upward. I don't sit on it, just a depth gauge. Down to about 14" and getting closer to full depth very soon though with about 10 reps on 3 sets.
As for hangboard I have the Metolius project at work which is plastic. Really like it for the texture but also have a Metolius Wood Grips Compact II at home that makes it considerably more challenging. Less texture so it kinda ups the effort for grip. I didn't use chalk with my plastic one at first but basically had to once I tried wood. Both of mine I found on Marketplace for less than half of what they are new, and they were barely touched. I think I have maybe $70 into both, so highly recommend finding someone selling them cheap before getting new.
Oh, and an introduction of myself to this thread. I'm 41 years young, 6' and hover around 165-170lbs depending on how strict I get with diet. A few years back I decided to take charge of getting mobility back plus dump some weight as I was hovering around 185-190. Wrist problems, a persistent knee problem, a bout with plantar fasciitis, and just generally unfit. I always liked calisthenics since it requires very little equipment, sometimes zero so it was where I started my journey.
Loosely following Convict Conditioning I started a Push/Pull/Hinge/Legs routine a few times a week. Pullups/chinups were always easy for me, so I've been lucky in that regard. Pushups, and some variety of core work like leg lifts or russian twists. Legs were mainly a mix of bodweight squats and lunges. Nothing fancy but it was a great base to start with, as I saw great progress in a short amount of time.
I'd say within 3 months I had lost 15 pounds while gaining muscle mass. I always try to focus on strict form more than reps, which has paid off well I think.
I also started climbing indoors which is such an awesome way to stay fit but have fun doing it. Started with top rope, then to lead climbing a little. Recently been doing more indoor bouldering, some outdoor lead, and a little top rope indoors if I'm crunched for time.
After a while I wanted to add in some weight training but don't have space for gym equipment, so I bought a cheap X3 knockoff sort of thing (TESLANG brand) on Amazon that uses resistance bands instead of freeweights. I've since found a somewhat better bar that's cheap and easier to load bands by GEKU Fit. I made a platform with a 12x18 1" thick cutting board with rubber feet screwed to the bottom. It took some getting used to, but I am able to use it for a nice front squat, decent deadlift, overhead press, curls, and reverse curls. Once you start to double up on the heavy bands it's hard to overload for legs, so reps start to get into the 15-20 range.
So that's mostly caught up. For quite a few months last year I was having some terrible tennis elbow, but finally got that in a good spot by actually putting in work for rehab. Unfortunately about 4-5 months later I developed golfers elbow from over working my right arm due to a slightly ruptured pulley on my left hand. Climbing is kinda funny like that. I am finally putting in solid effort to work on the golfers elbow, and getting back into a groove. My workouts there for a while were getting not only sporadic but also kinda aimless. I'm trying to restructure my program to be more sustainable and easier to hold myself accountable. Also trying to add back in some mobility stuff, mostly related to lower body for better hip function on and off the climbing wall. I like yoga but need something that's more active in stretch vs a lot of the passive stuff that's used in routines. So far horse pose has made a huge improvement but also need to explore further than just one movement. I also need to add back in some core work. After a while I dropped that out of my routine since I get quite a bit just with stabilizing through pullups, pushups, or dips but think there may be some bridge work and core in general that can help everywhere.
If anyone is interested or knows someone looking, I'll likely be unloading my entire lifting setup in the next month or two. Located in Winston-Salem, NC.
Image from earlier in this thread 
In reply to captainawesome :
Big progression thing that helped me get pistol squats, is to do them on a small platform so you don't have to hold the lead leg up quite as high. The base leg still has to work just as hard, but the coordination is easier. I've graduated to just off the floor. I usually go back and forth a bit between legs, so "11" is 7-7-4-4 then rest.
I also found squat shoes helped a lot. Much more stable, and the raised heel helped with balance.
My rock climbing is also progressing. I'm pretty consistent on V4's, and I'm getting some V5's.
In reply to Beer Baron 🍺 :
I've seen that recommended as well, but too cheap to buy a platform and haven't found anything at my office stable enough to stand on that would work. One of these days I'll pick up a used plyo box which can at least serve multiple purposes. I usually can get 8 solid ones and a weaker last two reps with the left and a good 10 on the right, of course this is with the 14" base. I plan to take an inch off every couple weeks if possible.
Edit: I may try a wedge block, that is something I have on hand.
The thing that helped me most with pistols (though I am still not great at them) is to grab the toes of my extended foot, with the hand on the same side. I have the mobility and the strength, the balance is the biggest issue and that helps a lot.
I'm struggling to get out of the full seated position, mainly on my left leg. I just am not able to activate or recruit enough to get myself up at the moment. Part of this is probably just a weak posterior chain from a sitting day job. After each session my glutes are usually the sore spot with all other areas normal. I need to focus on engaging core and staying focused on activating all of the leg structure and not losing tension at the base. Keeping my knee pointing straight or out as well. I have seen progress just staying consistent with the seated position higher, which I started around 22" and have worked my way down to 14". I'm considering doing a greasing the groove method to just get it dialed in quicker.
The Good: New toy for the home gym! Rep Fitness open trap bar with removable handles:
Wife and I are both liking the trap bar deadlifts. I love the neutral grip and *not* scraping a bar up my shins. Still getting a bit used to the technique and how to properly set up with the weight in line and take the slack out.
Also like the other options this bar opens up. Tried some cambered squats which was "meh". Zercher squats off the ground were fun. Standing rows with a neutral grip are nice.
The Not-So-Good:
I've noticed my workouts affecting my sleep in an odd way and not sure the best course of action. Past week on nights after I've lifted, I'll fall asleep just fine, but wake up in the middle of the night (2-4 am) and I'll have minor muscle tightens or what feels like micro-spasms in my muscles recovering that is uncomfortable and makes it difficult to fall back asleep.
In reply to Beer Baron 🍺 :
On a hex bar deadlift, try setting up as you would for a conventional DL with ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders (shoulders up, head up) but tilt the bar slightly forward (15 degrees or so). This tiny adjustment to your wrists can make a surprising difference to the push off the floor. It's not universal, but it's worth a shot.
Is your trap bar deep enough to allow you to do farmer's walks?
So I'm considering stopping creatine. I've been using it for about 6 months now and it's done wonders for my strength and recovery, but the water retention is making me fall way short of my overall weight loss and body size goals.
At least, I /think/ it's the water retention. Physically it seems impossible that I could have put on this much muscle and lost a little weight without losing at least some fat, and I can't really safely or inconspicuously go lower on calorie intake than what I'm currently at (1,000-1,200 calories/day). I'm hoping that cutting out the creatine, at least for a while, will help me in my overall cut.
So for those who've stopped creatine while trying to maintain the same routine before, I guess my question is: how much is this going to suck?
I didn't notice a huge amount of strenth or recovery gains when I was (am) on creatine, but I also eat a lot of red meat. I did notice water retention and bloat during the loading phase. Are you taking a 5g a day? The literature is a little mixed on this.
Here's one from scientist Jose Antonio, who pens one nicely:
"In summary, while there is some evidence to suggest that creatine supplementation increases water retention, primarily attributed to increases in intracellular volume, over the short term, there are several other studies suggesting it does not alter total body water (intra or extracellular) relative to muscle mass over longer periods of time. As a result, creatine supplementation may not lead to water retention."
I'd probably drop to 2 or 3g of creatine and see how you respond.
I've tried a new "bang for the buck" hypertrophy program that was on a Dr Mike video. 20rm ish range, 0-2 rep in reserve, myo pause, superset with an antagonistic muscle group, rinse and repeat. It feels and I think looks like it's showing gains bro. Overall strength has gone down since I'm not in the rep range for that. It's also predominately upper body focused, but I was a cyclist for a longggg time and am also blessed with tree trunk Pacific Islander calves. I'm okay with that for now. I do miss doing heavy ass deadlifts though.
In reply to fatallightning :
Yeah, I'm taking a 5g serving of Transparent Labs Creatine HMB every day. I'll try reducing and see what that does for me.
In reply to brandonsmash :
Haven't paid attention to angle on the wrists.
What I'm finding is the bigger issue is lining up the bar either too far forward or backwards on the first rep. After that, things stay in line and feel better. Just figuring out where that initial setup should be.
Trap bar is plenty deep for farmer walks. It's deep enough for lunges and Bulgarian split squats.
Conventional wisdom suggests that creatine promotes water retention but I've not seen this borne out in actual studies. It's not a magic powder, it's just an amino acid derivative. There's also no need to cycle or load creatine inasmuch as there's no need to cycle or load, say, trout.
"Yeah, I'm on a mad trout cycle brah. Pumping out MAX reps, gonna get wicked sockeye aggro tho."
Creatine is also of limited utility. It's not a steroid or hormone, it's not going to build muscle itself, and it's not going to dramatically alter body composition. At best it might increase exercise potential after the point where your body has burned through much of its supply of ATP by creating a greater reservoir of PCr.
I say this as someone who is intimately familiar from the stuff as an elite athlete (sponsored by a major supplement company, at that) and as someone who has spent a bit of time reading about nutrition as a hobby and professionally before I changed careers.
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