The official Equipment Forum regulars competition and call out thread

[judgecrandall]

Just hit a PR on 20 rep deep breathing squats. I hit 250 20 times today, I started at 225 for 20 reps at the beginning of September and went up by 5 lb increments each week. Not much but I'm proud of it. Goal is 300 for 20 one day....stay tuned!!!!

Very nice! Your sig is very apropos, I remember reading about how brutal 20 rep squats can be. I hit a 3RM PR on squat today (315) and a 5RM PR on bench (202.5).

[dumb.bell]

Just hit a PR on 20 rep deep breathing squats. I hit 250 20 times today, I started at 225 for 20 reps at the beginning of September and went up by 5 lb increments each week. Not much but I'm proud of it. Goal is 300 for 20 one day....stay tuned!!!!

That is very impressive. I'm much better at singles and triples than high reps stuff. I seem to have trouble pushing through the pain.

That raises a question. I was talking to a guy at the gym and made the remark that I hate squats because they hurt (burn). I then contrasted that with the bench press, which I said didn't hurt. He said, no, the bench hurts too, you just like doing it more. I didn't argue with him. But the truth is, that the bench press doesn't really hurt. Even when I'm doing sets of 225lb to failure, it doesn't really hurt, my arms just finally give out. When it comes to squats, I generally end a set because of pain, not failure. Do most of you have a similar experience with the lifts, or am I odd.

[judgecrandall]

That is very impressive. I'm much better at singles and triples than high reps stuff. I seem to have trouble pushing through the pain.

That raises a question. I was talking to a guy at the gym and made the remark that I hate squats because they hurt (burn). I then contrasted that with the bench press, which I said didn't hurt. He said, no, the bench hurts too, you just like doing it more. I didn't argue with him. But the truth is, that the bench press doesn't really hurt. Even when I'm doing sets of 225lb to failure, it doesn't really hurt, my arms just finally give out. When it comes to squats, I generally end a set because of pain, not failure. Do most of you have a similar experience with the lifts, or am I odd.

I think I agree with you, although I'm not that good at benching. For me, squats are more painful due to back/hip soreness. And while my legs might "give out," I don't really get "pain" in my legs the way I do in my backs/hips. I'm also much better at low rep stuff since I haven't done much high rep stuff with Starting Strength and Madcow.

[2MoreRepz]

Thanks guys! I agree with you dumbbell. For me, squats are an exercise that I feel like I can always find the strength for 1 more rep...or 2morerepz is more appropriate I guess. The pain is definitely intense, but it's the breathing that seems to get more intense....it is surprising how out of breath you will get from a true 20 rep squat set. As far as bench, my chest itself isn't really in pain or that fatigued feeling, but when I reach failure....there is no question that it's failure, like you said my arms give out and there is literally no more left in my tanks. I would say here lately I have been concentrating on my squat more than my bench, and it is noticeable in that I am I am noticing improvements in my quads and not so much in my chest. I also usually always do incline chest and not flat, both of my shoulders haven't completely healed since my operations....incline seems to be more comfortable for me.

[Maluket]

Agreed, bench doesn't hurt, low or high rep. Benching can take serious effort, but it doesn't hurt.

Squats aren't too bad, but they're worse than benching. High reps hurt. Low to medium reps don't hurt much, so I end most sets because I'm approaching failure. My lower back will start burning about halfway through my sets, though, but it's not enough to stop me.

I tried 20 rep squats once. I got to somewhere in the mid teens before I simply couldn't breathe, and I gave up because I'm a wimp. Haven't tried them again. Perhaps I should sometime.

I'd like to hit a four plate deadlift by end of year. I've done 365x3, but that was a year ago, and I threw my back out shortly after that, and I've just had enough back and knee problems that I've not gotten back up to that. My last set was 270x3, just being cautious because my knees are healing up, but it didn't feel particularly heavy. It's just embarrassing how poor my deadlift is compared to my bench, so I'd like to do something about it.

Bodyweight presses? Not at 310! Not for a long, long while anyway. If I can hit 220 by end of year, I'll be happy. Tonight I did 170x11. On paper that's 235 or so, but with pressing exercises, I'm a lot better at pushing out high reps than I am at pushing heavy weight for a single rep. These are seated, not standing.

No bench or squat goal for year end. I'd like heavier, of course, but my bench is good, and my knees aren't, so whatever happens happens. I probably won't even test them.

[dumb.bell]

It's just embarrassing how poor my deadlift is compared to my bench, so I'd like to do something about it.

I know exactly how this feels!

[Maluket]

I know exactly how this feels!

It would seem you do!

Still jelly of your numbers.

[BloodType3R]

Wow! Too many replies. I don't know were to start.

I guess my intention for this thread was to state your goals AND how far along you are currently. By doing so, you are bound to find someone, among the folks who you already frequently interact with, who is on a similar quest. There are plenty of other sections on this forum dedicated to more lifting and diet oriented conversation but a lot of us don't wish to venture out there.
So, if you have a goal (whether a specific lift, weight loss goal, running goal, etc) feel free to state it and make sure to tell us where you currently are too. If you are feeling especially frisky, go ahead and call someone out. Anyone want to challenge dumb.bell in a Bench Press contest? how bout KBKB on Turkish Get Ups? Atty on consecutive hours jelqed?

If you all want to take this thread in another direction, feel free to. I hadn't put much effort into it when I originally posted it. I just felt like we needed a place for the good little equipment whores to state their goals. The thread is whatever you guys want to make it...

[2MoreRepz]

^^Agreed and agreed. I like this thread a lot, keeps lifters who are gear nuts focused on the overall picture. Oh and I would be willing to go against Atty any day.....I was untouchable back in the summer of '99.

[Wildtim]

Ok well..I can't compete at any lift right now. MY only current goal is to make it through an entire cycle of 5,3,1 without a break. After a summer of 55-60 hour weeks I'm down 20 pounds, which is good but I'm barely any stronger now than I was last January.

[BIgOrange865]

Ok well..I can't compete at any lift right now. MY only current goal is to make it through an entire cycle of 5,3,1 without a break. After a summer of 55-60 hour weeks I'm down 20 pounds, which is good but I'm barely any stronger now than I was last January.

I am in the same boat Tim. After refinishing my kitchen/dining room during my wife's pregnancy I am finally able to lift again on a schedule. I get up at 4:00 am lift at 4:30, go to work at 6, come home at 4:30pm and spend time with my 2 year old and newborn son.

I have been doing wendler's 5/3/1 for 3 weeks and I am finally seeing some of my strength come back. I haven't set any PR's since the beginning of the year but I am really liking this programming and my goal is to finish one cycle at a time.

[2MoreRepz]

^ I would like to start doing the same in the mornings. Sometimes it's tough to find the motivation that early when the bed is warm. I like my afternoons free though. May have to give it a try again.

[BIgOrange865]

^ I would like to start doing the same in the mornings. Sometimes it's tough to find the motivation that early when the bed is warm. I like my afternoons free though. May have to give it a try again.

It's tough. I have to fight the urge to stay in bed, but I remind myself that this is my time to workout and my afternoons belong to my children. Be sure to give yourself time to wake up. I usually catch up on sportscenter with a large cup of joe.

[judgecrandall]

I used to workout early in the morning. It was great because it cleared up the rest of the day. In a perfect world, that's when I would always workout. Unfortunately, between my night-owl tendencies and work, I lift at night now, sometimes ending routines after midnight. Of course, working out that late keeps me up even more - it's a vicious cycle.

[jshpark]

I've been waking up @ 4-5 am to train before university (8am) for the past few months. It just becomes a habit and I actually prefer it now

After being motivated to reach my SP goals, I've done a lot more reading on the shoulder press than I ever have in my whole lifting career, thanks to contributions from the members in the equipt forum.

I've changed to a narrower suicide grip and the movement feels much better and stronger than before.

I was able to hit 150x2 this morning @ 162.4 bw. I've also added the recommended OHP accessories such as weighted dips, which I have not done in a long time, as well as press starts which use a higher weight and are used to increase strength in the lower ROM of the movement.

150x2 actually matches my PR from last month or so but I wasn't able to get 1 for 145 last week. Hopefully this trend continues and I can reach the New Years goal



I know this is the equipment forum and we are doing an exercise kind of thing, but I never ever go to the exercise section in this site and it is cool to have some competition and discussion with the regulars here.

[BloodType3R]

jshpark, that's fantastic work. The calculated max that double is 159.99.. You are REALLY close to your goal. Good looking technique too.
I attempted a 5lb increase to my max on Monday.. no dice. My Press has just felt a little off for the last few months. It's time to do some tweaking of my assistance work too. I've gotta put a bit more focus into this lift now or you are gonna run away with this contest!

[2MoreRepz]

Nice lift jshpark. I haven't done a whole lot of research on the tips/techniques on the shoulder press. The overweight static holds seem to be a good idea. May give those a try.

I also agree on the friendly competition within regular members. As grumpy and unsocial as it may sound, I have no interest in going into any other forums to do the same thing.

[Wildtim]

I am in the same boat Tim. After refinishing my kitchen/dining room during my wife's pregnancy I am finally able to lift again on a schedule. I get up at 4:00 am lift at 4:30, go to work at 6, come home at 4:30pm and spend time with my 2 year old and newborn son.

I have been doing wendler's 5/3/1 for 3 weeks and I am finally seeing some of my strength come back. I haven't set any PR's since the beginning of the year but I am really liking this programming and my goal is to finish one cycle at a time.

I get up at 4:30 to be to work by quarter to 6. If I wanted to work out in the morning it would mean getting up at 3:00. My time with the wife is far to little now to have to be in bed by 7:30 when she never gets home before 6. I plan my workouts for the days when I should be home by 4:30. If I end up pulling 12 or more though..... Lets just say I'm glad one of the templates for 5,3,1 is called "I'm not doing jack $hit", go to the gym bust out one exercise no extra reps and hit the shower, I might be able to manage that.

[BIgOrange865]

I get up at 4:30 to be to work by quarter to 6. If I wanted to work out in the morning it would mean getting up at 3:00. My time with the wife is far to little now to have to be in bed by 7:30 when she never gets home before 6. I plan my workouts for the days when I should be home by 4:30. If I end up pulling 12 or more though..... Lets just say I'm glad one of the templates for 5,3,1 is called "I'm not doing jack $hit", go to the gym bust out one exercise no extra reps and hit the shower, I might be able to manage that.

Believe me I've done a couple "jack ****" workouts especially when I started working out in the morning. My work schedule is flexible as long as I get all projects completed on time. We have been very busy which leads to longer weeks.

One thing I've noticed about working out in the mornings is I'm just not able to push as much. I'll have a small snack with coffee before I lift but it's just not the same after being awake all day .

Nice lift jshpark!!!

[jshpark]

It's commendable to even try to workout with such limited time..

Thanks for the complements. I don't know about the rep max calculators being accurate but even getting 150 is a very recent thing for me. I used to be stalled around 140ish for a long time. My pressing is relatively stronger than my other lifts, which are too embarassing to say atm lol. I've !@#$ed around for too long compared to how long I've been on this site.. I've had some of the best equipment but I'm really going to try to get my weight up from now on..

[Cartr1dgeBased]

couple goals:
bf at 12%; currently 20% (down 5% in 2.5 months)
lift 1000 total; currently (215/285/325=825 again 2.5 months in)

also great idea, nearly all of my 30ish comments are in this forum

[judgecrandall]

jshpark, nice work on your press, shouldn't be too long before you get to a bodyweight press. You and BT3R really make me want to work on my press, which has been stalled for awhile now. Don't want to mess with my routine though, at least for now.

Nice lift jshpark. I haven't done a whole lot of research on the tips/techniques on the shoulder press. The overweight static holds seem to be a good idea. May give those a try.

I also agree on the friendly competition within regular members. As grumpy and unsocial as it may sound, I have no interest in going into any other forums to do the same thing.

I know this is the equipment forum and we are doing an exercise kind of thing, but I never ever go to the exercise section in this site and it is cool to have some competition and discussion with the regulars here.

+1, I look at a few other forums here on occasion, but have no desire to actually post anywhere else but here.

couple goals:
bf at 12%; currently 20% (down 5% in 2.5 months)
lift 1000 total; currently (215/285/325=825 again 2.5 months in)

also great idea, nearly all of my 30ish comments are in this forum

Nice numbers for such a short time frame! That reminds me, I need to get into the 1000 club. The closest I've gotten is 960 (215, 337.5, 407.5), but I haven't tried any 1RMs lately, so using my regular 5RM numbers, I'm at 900 right now. Happy to race if you're interested. I usually stall right around where I'm at now, so my head start might not matter.

[Cartr1dgeBased]

jshpark, nice work on your press, shouldn't be too long before you get to a bodyweight press. You and BT3R really make me want to work on my press, which has been stalled for awhile now. Don't want to mess with my routine though, at least for now.





+1, I look at a few other forums here on occasion, but have no desire to actually post anywhere else but here.



Nice numbers for such a short time frame! That reminds me, I need to get into the 1000 club. The closest I've gotten is 960 (215, 337.5, 407.5), but I haven't tried any 1RMs lately, so using my regular 5RM numbers, I'm at 900 right now. Happy to race if you're interested. I usually stall right around where I'm at now, so my head start might not matter.

it's on. you got a headstart, but i get to exploit the hell out of these newb gains. so bring it.
good thing about owing your own gym is that i can start lifting right now. like RIGHT NOW.

some stakes? if i win i get your ivanko # lol. if you win.... you can.... judge me... or something...... and i'll put in sig? w/e
edit 2: scratch that if i win i put something in your sig... or something

[snova031]

I've been lifting since I started assembling pieces for my home gym last November. In the beginning of 2013, I set a goal for myself to get to 1,200 total. As of now, I'm at 305/505/490, bringing me to 1,300 total, well ahead of my goal. I've also gone from ~295lbs to now right around 254lbs in that same time frame.

My new goal is to get to 1,500 total by year end 2014.

[judgecrandall]

it's on. you got a headstart, but i get to exploit the hell out of these newb gains. so bring it.
good thing about owing your own gym is that i can start lifting right now. like RIGHT NOW.

some stakes? if i win i get your ivanko # lol. if you win.... you can.... judge me... or something...... and i'll put in sig? w/e
edit 2: scratch that if i win i put something in your sig... or something

Haha sure, we'll figure something out for our sigs.

Hit 5RM PRs for bench (202.5) and squat (315) last night - barely managed, but I'll take it. Based on the 1RM calculator, I'm up to 990 total (if only it worked like that). I'll have to work in some 1RM attempts at some point.

Here's a pic of the 3-plate squat.

[Cartr1dgeBased]

Haha sure, we'll figure something out for our sigs.

Hit 5RM PRs for bench (202.5) and squat (315) last night - barely managed, but I'll take it. Based on the 1RM calculator, I'm up to 990 total (if only it worked like that). I'll have to work in some 1RM attempts at some point.

Here's a pic of the 3-plate squat.

great lifts man. all i did were clean&jerks (like 200+ of them) and overhead presses today to break in my bumpers
this race may be over faster than expected...

[Jason2459]

Equipment Forum regulars:

Do you have a specific lifting goal that you are focus on? Looking for some friendly competition? Post your goal in here and see who is also looking to accomplish something similar. This is the place Marshall. up against your fellow iron addicts. Whatever your experience level, chances are that another regular is right there with you! ALL goals are welcome!

Inspired by jackbravo, jshpark and I are kicking this off with a race to a 100% bodyweight press.
My starting stats: Best Press to date 180 @196 for a 91.8% ratio. I'm not sure what # I will catch this goal at. So long as it is a 1:1 ratio, I'm happy.

I'll take on this challenge. I suck at OHP anything and have never trained it seriously even though I keep saying I will. I do have a partially separated clavicle right now but will start with 135x1 as my current max lol Now to get it up to around 205.


And Marshall you are far from old. Many guys have set world records into their 40's.

[ninjaneer]

i've been stalled at a 205# OHP (187# bw) for some time, now. in the misc, there was a competition for OHP with seriously impressive numbers. time to make it a priority. thanks for the motivation.

[urbanlifter]

Alright, I'll join in the fun. Just for giggles I ran out real quick to see where I'm at with OHP, I have been running a bodybuilding program (db for shoulders) but I start 5/3/1 again next week so hopefully that will help get me back in the groove. At a current weight of 171lbs I was able to get 155lbs x2, 165lbs x 1, and then stalled out a little overhead on 170lbs and couldn't finish it off. Hopefully I'll be there in a little while, do these goals require video for proof of strict form? I'm assuming there is no leg bump allowed at the bottom of the OHP?

[BloodType3R]

I'll take on this challenge. I suck at OHP anything and have never trained it seriously even though I keep saying I will. I do have a partially separated clavicle right now but will start with 135x1 as my current max lol Now to get it up to around 205.


And Marshall you are far from old. Many guys have set world records into their 40's.

This is getting good. Glad to have you aboard.

i've been stalled at a 205# OHP (187# bw) for some time, now. in the misc, there was a competition for OHP with seriously impressive numbers. time to make it a priority. thanks for the motivation.

Share your wisdom! Any key aspects of your training that you found drove up your Press (intensity, volume, frequency, assistance, etc)?

Alright, I'll join in the fun. Just for giggles I ran out real quick to see where I'm at with OHP, I have been running a bodybuilding program (db for shoulders) but I start 5/3/1 again next week so hopefully that will help get me back in the groove. At a current weight of 171lbs I was able to get 155lbs x2, 165lbs x 1, and then stalled out a little overhead on 170lbs and couldn't finish it off. Hopefully I'll be there in a little while, do these goals require video for proof of strict form? I'm assuming there is no leg bump allowed at the bottom right of the OHP?

Just a friendly motivational thread. As far as I'm concerned, no proof is required, but if you feel like dropping a video or picture, then please do. Personally, I believe that an OHP becomes a Push Press when a deliberate knee bend is involved. Hip drive doesn't disqualify a Press (by my standards).