Shawn's Fierce 5 Log v2.5: Indefinitely Cutting Away

[GoodGeneticsPls]

Hey dude nice log. A word of advice on the deadlifts. You should position the bar over your mid foot and bring your shins to the bar. Notice in the video on some reps you don't start with your shins touching the bar and it ends up drifting back against you as you lift it anyways.

Keep at it man.

[RKintaudi]

Hey dude nice log. A word of advice on the deadlifts. You should position the bar over your mid foot and bring your shins to the bar. Notice in the video on some reps you don't start with your shins touching the bar and it ends up drifting back against you as you lift it anyways.

Keep at it man.

Thanks man. I'll try to keep my shins touching the bar at all time. I've tried to doing so in the past, but it has always felt awkward to me.

[RKintaudi]

Last night was my first night at my new gym, VASA fitness. TFW you're the smallest guy at the gym. I swear everyone there looked like they were jacked. That and it was VERY crowded, though there was plenty of equipment available it's definitely a stark difference from my other gyms. With that being said, NO ONE at this gym reracks their weights. I find that kind of annoying, having to look all around stations to find certain 35s or 45s. Other than that, VASA fitness is okay. I can get all my lifts done with no issues.

By the way, I could not complete my Incline benches yesterday. I have no idea why, but even 150 LB felt heavy. I had to scale back to 145 LB to get the proper amount of sets and reps in. Another setback, doesn't feel too good, mayne. feelsbadman.jpg

[WrathfulOne]

Last night was my first night at my new gym, VASA fitness. TFW you're the smallest guy at the gym. I swear everyone there looked like they were jacked. That and it was VERY crowded, though there was plenty of equipment available it's definitely a stark difference from my other gyms. With that being said, NO ONE at this gym reracks their weights. I find that kind of annoying, having to look all around stations to find certain 35s or 45s. Other than that, VASA fitness is okay. I can get all my lifts done with no issues.

By the way, I could not complete my Incline benches yesterday. I have no idea why, but even 150 LB felt heavy. I had to scale back to 145 LB to get the proper amount of sets and reps in. Another setback, doesn't feel too good, mayne. feelsbadman.jpg

Almost no-one at my gym strips the weights off except me. Pisses me off man! Fooking dickheads! They just leave multiple 20kg plates on the bar and I have to come and drag them all off.

When was your last deload? Might help with incline if you take a break.

[RKintaudi]

Almost no-one at my gym strips the weights off except me. Pisses me off man! Fooking dickheads! They just leave multiple 20kg plates on the bar and I have to come and drag them all off.

When was your last deload? Might help with incline if you take a break.

My last deload was about 3-4 weeks ago if I remember correctly. I'm due for another deload starting on the week after next.

[RKintaudi]

Here are my actual results for the first 3 workouts of this week.



I'm disappointed that my incline bench was way off from what I projected it would be. I don't know why I couldn't handle the weight. I maybe got 3 reps in my first set before I realized it wasn't going to work. I'm hoping that I can maintain my lifts for one more week as I'm set to deload the week after next. It would really be discouraging if I couldn't do so.

Also disappointed that I forgot to bring some chalk in the gym. My hands normally get mad sweaty and I felt it last night. I had to sacrifice some reps for the sake of my shoulder during my DL's due to sweaty hands/poor grip.

I'm an idiot for forgetting to increase the weight on my RDL's. I know I could've handled 235. I've done it in the past.

Holy crap, my new gym is like a freaking madhouse. While I don't have to wait for sets and equipment as I did with PF, there's just so many people. Powerlifters, fitness model looking-like women, and a few scrubs such as myself.

Anyway, here are some videos of my past few days of lifting. I'll have to upload my incline bench and dumbbell press later tonight as I want to get some perspective on my form.

[RKintaudi]

Results from the weekend.



I'm glad I was able to get all these lifts done. While they are starting to become challenging, I'm confident that I'll be able to get this week's workouts done without a hitch. This weekend I'll only lift on Friday because I'll be down south at a ski resort on Saturday and Sunday. As a result, I'll do a combined Push/Pull workout on Friday. Since next week is my scheduled de-load week, I'll have a few extra days to recover and take some much needed effort off my lifts.

Below are this week's projections. I'm anticipating that I will struggle with my normal DL's as well as the bench. I barely completed my sets last week for these exercises so I'm expecting more of the same.

[RKintaudi]

Here are some clips from Saturday's workouts. I know I've been somewhat lagging lately when it comes to logging. It's only due to the fact that I've been really busy at work these past few days. On Monday night I couldn't lift since I stayed at the office until 2am. So I combined the lower and upper workouts last night to make up for it. Let's just say I'm glad there's a scheduled day off today. While I'm not overly sore or hurt, last night's workout felt tough since I took Sunday and Monday off. Felt like I didn't lift anything for days.

I'm still having an issue with depth on my squats. I don't know if it's due to me being afraid of not coming out the hole when going past parallel or what. Whatever it is, I can't even get to 90 degrees without coming back up. Starting on Saturday (beginning of deload as I'll be on vacation), I'll do as many squats as possible to get that form back. Especially if I'm looking to get to 3 plate squats for reps by the summer.





EDIT: As I mentioned, the issue with my depth of squats is starting to bug me. Do you guys have an idea as to how much lower I should be going? Here's a clip of me squatting last night.

[WrathfulOne]

Nice rows man! Here are the thing I noticed about your squats:

1. You have a really wide squat stance with your feet right at the supports. They should be shoulder width. I saw a guy on Tuesday doing the exact same thing and he couldn't hit depth due to the mechanics of trying to squat with his legs so wide in the rack.
2. You are looking straight ahead and keeping your chest up which is raising your rib cage and weakening your core. You should look at the floor ahead of you and do the Valsalva manoeuvre so your torso is one solid column. Check out Chris Duffin's squat videos on Youtube where he talks about this specific issue of chest-raising during squats (which is a common cue).

Das it mane.













































EDIT: Shawn you continue to improve man. Great job bud. Your form is getting better and better and the lifts despite all the cutting are still doing well. When is it gonna be that bulking time dough? lol. Best of luck.-davisj3537

[adamaby]

[connorpat1995]

you're taking a wide-stance, hip-dominant squat in flat shoes. That's pretty much the hardest to hit depth on; especially given you've had mobility issues in the past

play around with different stances at 135 until you find one where you can hit depth easily, then work with it. You may have to reset to get accustomed to it as well

[RKintaudi]

EDIT: Shawn you continue to improve man. Great job bud. Your form is getting better and better and the lifts despite all the cutting are still doing well. When is it gonna be that bulking time dough? lol. Best of luck.-davisj3537

Thanks for the good vibes. It's definitely been a long road when it comes to the weight loss. But soon enough, one day, it will be my turn to bulk up. I would love to see how I look at 185, maybe even 180.

you're taking a wide-stance, hip-dominant squat in flat shoes. That's pretty much the hardest to hit depth on; especially given you've had mobility issues in the past

play around with different stances at 135 until you find one where you can hit depth easily, then work with it. You may have to reset to get accustomed to it as well

Hmm, I was thinking of switching up my shoes to Converse in the near future. I hear they're pretty decent for compound lifts.

What percentage of a reset would you recommend? 75%? 80%?

[RKintaudi]

Results from this past week.




I'm glad that it's a deload week. While all of my lifts felt fine last week, I was really starting to feel awful by Wednesday night. After playing ball, I was toast. Had trouble walking and barely got 4 hours of sleep that night. I don't think it had an affect on my Leg day, however. Speaking of Leg Day, I felt as if this was one of my better leg day sessions in awhile. I didn't get to record my squats...at least properly, but I felt as if I had a little more depth. Even at 260. I'll go at 70% RM for most of my lifts during this week off.



As shown above, I was only able to complete 5 reps of BPs. I'm not entirely disappointed because there was a time where I struggled to get two clean reps in at 180. Also, I'm pretty sure I discovered how to incorporate my pectoral muscles when benching. I feel like a scrub since I used my triceps primarily for benching in the past. Better late than never I suppose.

What really sucks is having to reset my OHPs. While my execution of the lifts were better at 95 LB, it's still disappointing to drop down 20 LB after handling 115 LB solidly a few weeks ago.

Lastly, I had to incorporate a few pull lifts on Friday since I was heading out of town to Brianhead Resort. The hotel in Brianhead had dumbbells and a pulldown machine so I was able to finish off my lifts on Saturday night. The dumbbells were not heavy enough for my rowing exercises, so I decided to do those on Friday instead of using lighter weights or skipping it all together.



By the way, it was my first time snowboarding last weekend. It was fk'ing amazing. I have to say that Skateboarding in the past really helped me in this case. I'd say the scariest part of it all was getting on the lift. The lift didn't have a safety bar, or a place to rest your feet. I had one foot strapped in while it dangled with my other free foot off the lift. Definitely psyched me out the first few times. I'd say I got the hang of it all after my second ride down the green slopes. I couldn't turn going downhill to save my lift though, which caused me to nearly crash into trees a few times.

My buddy gave me a sweet deal afterwards, I had no choice but to accept. We're looking to get some snow this week, so I may head up to a closer resort to get one last session in before the season ends.



$100 for the lot. Also included snow pants and gloves.

[adamaby]

man i've always wanted to go snowboarding but didnt have the cahones for it, here in ***** we literally have an artificial ski slope lmao and im still too scared to do it.

about those deadlifts, dont you feel like your knees should be a little more forwards so it's less of a good morning? i'm just curious but obviously you deadlift a lot more weight than me so there's that

[Dan3317]

I could not stop laughing from the "Exhibit D" video haha! Nice catch man!

[RKintaudi]

Felt like forever since I last lifted heavily. In any case, my deload week is over and I'll get back to lifting on a normal basis. I decided to take half a week off last week since I had plenty of other physical activities to keep me active. Though I'm glad to finally get back to some heavy lifting. I felt like a DYEL these past few days.

I joined a flag football team, because it looks like my softball team is a 3rd place team at best. I'm hoping that we'll get at least to .500 given the fact that we're in a skilled league and it's a team of extra players.

In any case, the numbers...here's what I'm looking to lift this week:



I'm only increasing my squats by 5 pounds for one reason. I'm tired of loading 2.5 LB plates to the bar. It's like trying to find a rare pokemon who is looking for a needle in a haystack with the way people "re-rack weights" at VASA. Also, I'm going to get some fugging depth on these squats. Paralell or GTFO.

Still 199 pounds...199.8 to be exact. It's starting to piss me off.

[RKintaudi]

man i've always wanted to go snowboarding but didnt have the cahones for it, here in ***** we literally have an artificial ski slope lmao and im still too scared to do it.

about those deadlifts, dont you feel like your knees should be a little more forwards so it's less of a good morning? i'm just curious but obviously you deadlift a lot more weight than me so there's that

The pack we had down in Brianhead wasn't great. It made for falling on my ass that much worse. After talking with a couple of regulars I was able to understand the art of falling. Still, even with all the bailing, it was really fun. I'm going to head out to a ski resort again this weekend for the last riding of the season. My goal is to perfect the ollie and the 180.

As far as my RDL's go, I'm sure my legs could be pushed up a bit. I didn't focus on it much during my week off only because I felt really comfortable with my form (given the fact that I had plenty of chalk to support my grip). Some people have let me know that mixed grip isn't the way to go when it comes to RDL's. However, at this rate, I can't help but use it now.

I could not stop laughing from the "Exhibit D" video haha! Nice catch man!

Those rib-cage extensions were on point tho.

[RKintaudi]

Well this week flew by. Plenty of late nights at work. But I got my lifts in. Updates later tonight.

[RKintaudi]

Results from Week 6:




I had to scale back on the squats a bit as I'm still having depth issues. I can handle the weight it feels like, but I'm always unsure of when I'm actually deep enough when I'm in the hole. I'm pleased that I'm progressing when it comes to incline benching and OHP's. I was able to handle those lifts just fine this week. Using my pectoral muscles has really made a difference in all my exercises that focused primarily on my chest. This upcoming week, I don't see any issues that may arise when it comes to my lifts. If there is an issue it may be my squats. I know I had some trouble completing my sets last week. Oh yes, soon enough I will be hitting 315 for some decent reps when it comes to my deadlifts. Just 3 more weeks. Also, I tried to go snowboarding again on Friday after my leg day...not a wise move. Throughout the entire day, I was feeling all sorts of sore in my lower back, my calves, and my hamstrings. I think it's safe to say that this upcoming winter, I'll plan around snowboarding after leg day.




Off-topic, sort of: I may get my gf to start lifting as soon as this Saturday. If I have any luck, I'll be able to get her to do some basic compound lifts (just the barbell).

[HarryValdez]

I have pretty much the same problem with my squats as well. Handling the weight is no problem but it just always feels like I'm squatting much deeper than I actually am. For me I think it's simply a mobility issue so I'm really starting to work on that.

Nice lifts man. Definitely mirin those rows and deadlift.

[sooby]

Nice lifts bro. If you are having depth issues on your squats you should invest in some squatting shoes. While squatting shoes aren't a replacement for bad form (which I don't think you have for the most part, aside from the depth issues) it will help you get to depth a lot easier because of the raised heel. but of course it isn't a bad idea to do a minor reset to practice depth.

If you want the best of the best squatting shoes (Adipowers or Romaleos) they are around 150-200$ if you are willing to fork over that type of money. The next best thing would probably be the Powerlift 2.0's, they are around $80-100$ if you are looking for a cheaper alternative. Chuck Taylor's aren't bad all around shoe, it is just they are a flat sole so they aren't ideal for squats. You could buy both if you are willing to be a big spender because Chucks are ideal for deadlifts because they don't raise your heel like the Adipowers. Or just go straight socks (Squat shoes aren't ideal for Deadlifts because a raised heel will make your deadlifts harder).

Squat shoes aren't just for squats either, they are great shoes for overall leg stability and efficient application of force because the shoes are non-compressible (a compressible shoe absorbs some of the force rather than applying it directly to the ground, thus hindering your potential). You will find that they will be great for lifts like overhead press and rows due to the added stability. And they are very durable (especially the Adipowers/Romaleos) so consider them an investment.

I've had a lot of friends get the Adipowers and they've noticed what a big difference it made. Some of them even increased their squat 1RM by 15 lbs instantly! Although experience varies. But the biggest difference was how comfortable it was and how much easier it was to hit depth. You may want to practice form with the new shoes though.

[connorpat1995]

If you can sit down on a toilet, you can squat to parallel.

It looks like the same issue as before. You're folding up like an accordian instead if moving your legs out of the way to sit down

[RKintaudi]

If you can sit down on a toilet, you can squat to parallel.

It looks like the same issue as before. You're folding up like an accordian instead if moving your legs out of the way to sit down

Hmm, I notice what you mean by my legs being stationery. Looks like it's back to the damn drawing board.

[RKintaudi]

Results from the first three workouts of this week. I think a reset is in the cards for my squats and rows. I can tell that my form is slipping for both exercises. I had to skip my leg day (I know) yesterday due to some discomfort in my left knee. While there's not a consistent pain there, I just didn't feel confident that it would hold up through the entire work out. If I could describe the feeling, it's sort of a mildly sudden pain I get when I move a certain way with my left knee. It doesn't last for more than like 2 seconds, but I don't want to aggravate it, even though not working out is aggravating. It was hard to keep my ego in check last night. I'll see how I'm feeling tonight before I hit the gym to make up for last night.



I may have to switch programs to where I'm only lifting during the week. I'm loving this program so far, but with my gf's new job, she finally has the weekend off. If I can't get her to come with me to the gym, I've got some bad news...

[RKintaudi]

Projections for this week:



I'm sticking with 255 LB on the squats until I solve my mobility Issue. I'm also scaling back on my rows this week. Over the past few weeks, I haven't felt like I had a great ROM. I'm hoping that this small reset will get me back on track.

EDIT: Below is a video of me doing some squats last night.

[RKintaudi]

Results from last week:



I think I'm going to have to switch to a 4-day program. Over the last few weeks, I've had to combine either leg/push or push/pull into one day. I don't think this is wise going forward. I could also use the blow as I play quite a few rounds of sports over the week and I hike on weekends. My body could use the blow.

As far as the lifts go, I'm glad that I scaled back on the rows. My form felt much more controlled, and I was able to get a few more inches in my ROM during the exercise. Of course the big question is are my squats improving. I'm trying to envision sitting on a toilet, however, I just feel like I'm going to fall on my ass instead each time. Let me know your thoughts. Oh yes...three plate deadlifts...coming soon.

Some training videos from last week are below.

Squats.


Deadlifts:


Random attempt to beat my 3RM Bench Press. Was I success?

[WrathfulOne]

Results from last week:



I think I'm going to have to switch to a 4-day program. Over the last few weeks, I've had to combine either leg/push or push/pull into one day. I don't think this is wise going forward. I could also use the blow as I play quite a few rounds of sports over the week and I hike on weekends. My body could use the blow.

As far as the lifts go, I'm glad that I scaled back on the rows. My form felt much more controlled, and I was able to get a few more inches in my ROM during the exercise. Of course the big question is are my squats improving. I'm trying to envision sitting on a toilet, however, I just feel like I'm going to fall on my ass instead each time. Let me know your thoughts. Oh yes...three plate deadlifts...coming soon.

Some training videos from last week are below.

Squats.


Deadlifts:


Random attempt to beat my 3RM Bench Press. Was I success?

Some good numbers you got there man! One thing though is in your deadlifts you are really jerking your arms when you lift the weight up. You should pull the slack out a bit and then do the pull, otherwise you are likely to get a bicep tear doing alternate grip. Also, your lockout is too short, you should do a pause at the top.

[RKintaudi]

Week 10 Projections on the Intermidiate U/L 4-Day Routine:



And a random pic of my back. not sure if progress:



I needed to switch programs due to me being completely booked on weekends. That and I figured that an extra day of rest would be better in the long-term.

[Jagoodin7]

Dropping by to see progress, cant wait till i get to a 265 Squat. My 225 squats felt HEAVY! I may have to reset soon.

[RKintaudi]

And... after a ligament AND achilles injury in my right foot I am back and at em. While the injuries weren't severe, they did cause quite a bit of problems when it came to squatting and deadlifting. I reset a bit in light of the injury, but my bench press is at an all time high of 190 pounds for 6 reps.

My latest videos are on my IG (@seankinthowdee) and FB for now (inB4 follow beg thread). I'll post videos on here, when I'm back up to my pre-inury squat (265) and deadlift (315) numbers. I have no idea how much the leg press machine weighs without any plates on it, so I'm tracking my progress on that by the amount of weight I put on there. So far, I'm up to 200 lbs on each side.

My lifts for the first part of this week are looking like this: