Calling anyone interested in a friendly strength competition for this spring/summer

[WolfRose7]

I remember a teacher saying something like that a long time ago and it always stuck with me. Can't have happiness without sadness

-----

Squats for the 3rd day in a row:
Failed 385, but it was close. Was trying to grind it out, but my back started to fold and there was just way to keep pushing

Vid of the 385 fail: https://streamable.com/5m22m0

Chest supported rows:
Got 245 with 100% ROM
275 was like 99% ROM but not quite there

I think thats a noticeable improvement

Smooth as a fail gets.
Quads left and no way to finish.

Definitely seems like hammering knee forward variations is the way to go for assistance. Platz, FFE Split squats.

[CW47]

December 22, 2021: Paused Bench Press - 3 Count
165 pounds x 1 rep
Goal once again was to end up around an 8 RPE. I ended up right about there. Still hoping to make one more go at a Bench Press and possibly a deadlift PR before the end of the year, so I'm keeping the intensity a little lower right now in preparation for that. No back off work simply because I have family staying with me for the holidays so I'll try to keep workouts as short as possible.

[WolfRose7]

Here ya go lads

Off the back of a bad pivot and inconsistent block, not awful.

Failed 160 squat, not quite there and wasn't aggressive.
Bench tanked and failed 125.
Deadlift actually went 4x4 and best deadlift by far on a test day.

155 squat is still all time PR.

Onwards and upwards next year



Will leave you judge standards but for my money the only thing close is the the bench pause

[CW47]

Nice clean lifts Wolf. Congrats on the Squat PR! I'm happy to see that the change over to sumo has worked well.

My plans have changed and it's pretty unlikely that I'll be trying for any more PR's before the end of the year. Just found out yesterday that my 1 year tested positive for covid. He's been fighting it off pretty well but is still not feeling great. His mama is feeling pretty terrible, and has been for a few weeks already. Her and I haven't heard the results of our own tests yet. At the moment everyone is doing okay, considering. We're quarantined at home for a while, and despite being at home all day I've got my hands full taking care of the family. Bad timing...

But assuming everyone stays on a good path here, I should be able to do a wrap up post before the end of the year, recapping my results.

Wishing you all happy holidays.

[SaviorSelfJT]

Nice clean lifts Wolf. Congrats on the Squat PR! I'm happy to see that the change over to sumo has worked well.

My plans have changed and it's pretty unlikely that I'll be trying for any more PR's before the end of the year. Just found out yesterday that my 1 year tested positive for covid. He's been fighting it off pretty well but is still not feeling great. His mama is feeling pretty terrible, and has been for a few weeks already. Her and I haven't heard the results of our own tests yet. At the moment everyone is doing okay, considering. We're quarantined at home for a while, and despite being at home all day I've got my hands full taking care of the family. Bad timing...

But assuming everyone stays on a good path here, I should be able to do a wrap up post before the end of the year, recapping my results.

Wishing you all happy holidays.

Wishing for you and families health

[MyEgoProblem]

Did a 48kg strict curl today.
Ass n shoulders on wall.
Comp legal in told.
I thought it was kinda shonky.

That **** is hard 😂 especially for someone with no biceps who barely curls outside of high rep hammer curls for bench love. And who barely trained anything but low fatigue deads in 6weeks.

Not even hitting 50kg strict, Its still shameful tho

[Filmbuff81]

Nice clean lifts Wolf. Congrats on the Squat PR! I'm happy to see that the change over to sumo has worked well.

My plans have changed and it's pretty unlikely that I'll be trying for any more PR's before the end of the year. Just found out yesterday that my 1 year tested positive for covid. He's been fighting it off pretty well but is still not feeling great. His mama is feeling pretty terrible, and has been for a few weeks already. Her and I haven't heard the results of our own tests yet. At the moment everyone is doing okay, considering. We're quarantined at home for a while, and despite being at home all day I've got my hands full taking care of the family. Bad timing...

But assuming everyone stays on a good path here, I should be able to do a wrap up post before the end of the year, recapping my results.

Wishing you all happy holidays.

Hope you all have a speedy recovery.

[Filmbuff81]

Here ya go lads

Off the back of a bad pivot and inconsistent block, not awful.

Failed 160 squat, not quite there and wasn't aggressive.
Bench tanked and failed 125.
Deadlift actually went 4x4 and best deadlift by far on a test day.

155 squat is still all time PR.

Onwards and upwards next year



Will leave you judge standards but for my money the only thing close is the the bench pause

Looked solid. As mentioned bench would possibly be a bit quick on the pause, but every lift looked pretty easy.

Nice work

[CW47]

Wishing for you and families health

Hope you all have a speedy recovery.

Thanks guys. We're gradually improving already.


I supposed now is as good a time as any to recap my progress throughout the duration of this little 'competition'.

Starting Max's
Press: 115
Bench: 175
Squat: 265
Deadlift: 365

Goal End Max's
Press: 125
Bench: 195
Squat: 300
Deadlift: 395

Actual End Max's
Press: 120 [+5]
Bench: 190 [+15]
Squat: 300 [+35]
Deadlift: 415 [+50]

Video's of the Max Lifts:

[WolfRose7]

Cheers guys, threads been fun.
Next year will be the first fully coached year and also the first in starting without training absence, so numbers should get much bigger.


CW glad to hear the families already getting better

[SaviorSelfJT]

Squats again-
Crushed 385

Presses-
175x1
200x0 (175 felt really easy)

Curls-
115x10

------

I noticed my clothes were a little loose today, so I weighed myself and I'm a bit lighter than I'd like to be

This really sucks, feeling my clothes loose that used to be tighter makes me feel like I'm sick and diseased, a skeleton just wasting away, the opposite of growth and vitality

So I guess I've been on an unintentional cut. When I get stressed my appetite goes down and even if I'm hungry a lot of times I can't be bothered to eat I'd rather just lie down and stay hungry

------

Congrats CW47 on making progress

Its a bit embarassing that not only do I not have progress, but actually regressed from my top lifts and not by a small margin

All my fault I've shrunk and am weaker


If we continue this thread for a 2022 version I'm down

[EliKoehn]

CW, I'm glad you're all already feeling better - seems this time around it's more mild, but that could indeed be an ominous premature statement to make at the same time.

EDIT: Somehow I didn't register your lifts until just now. Great job and IIRC all of that is a huge slew of progress in just one year. The squat looks like it might be a little bit shallow, but I can't tell because the plate blocks your femurs mostly. However, that deadlift has got to feel great. Getting 4 plates for the first time to me was an awesome feeling which I'm certain everyone who gets it surely experiences.

Good lifts Wolf! Seems like you could have gone heavier on the deadlift, however. Good job and thank you for sticking with this the whole time.

If we continue this thread for a 2022 version I'm down

How about a show of hands on this? I'd be down too. This thread is 90% of my useful time spent on this forum, anyway; it's beneficial to log work and get feedback from others doing the same, as I'm sure the reverse is for you all. It's nice having a more or less tight-knit group of like-minded and committed people, as well. My motivation has been low lately, but I'm intent on keeping this a part of my life as long as I'm able-bodied and well. The modern world is toxic enough psychologically. Being sedentary in a white-collar capacity on top of that is no way to live.

Maybe instead of an actual, deliberate "challenge" (of powerlifting lifts, at that), we could simply each log individual goals and help each other achieve them? Something like what we discussed at the beginning of the thread would be exciting, but it understandably seems that's not feasible with everyone over such a long period of time. I do however like the idea of keeping some kind of "floating scoreboard" where we will periodically post recordholders for various categories - the 315 deadlift AMRAP, for instance; many excellent sets there but 20 was the highest with video proof. It's less structured but should keep some of the competition/challenge going without demanding too much as people can opt in or out of these various categories as they please or are able to. Also, it opens the scope up beyond 1RMs in the powerlifting exercises and the few auxiliary lifts mentioned earlier this year. I like that idea, at least. Thoughts?

Just some thoughts on my own personal lifting goals going forward. Spoilers for no wall of text to the disinterested...

Spoiler!

I'm contemplating what my Q1 2022 lifting goals will be... Definitely staying below 110KG and red-flagging any window of time I'm above that; but besides that, attractive choices to me are really honing in on the deadlift, or trying to make a lot of progress with OHP. This year was a modest improvement in almost every regard, fitness wise. I lost at least 15 pounds of fat while getting stronger across the board; achieved familiarity with the squat and a decent number there even if it's still a laggard, did plenty of distance running, followed a formal program to the T and think I learned a little bit about programming from that, on paper and in practice.

That Candito program is so squat-heavy - all deadlift attempts except for the max-setting and max-itself are performed after fairly intense squats in every case - and the deadlift and squat share so much of the same musculature, that I think having trained up the squat decently with it this year, but now switching to a deadlift emphasis in training might result in a stride of progress. To me, the squat feels like a necessity to earn the "lifter" card, but I actually love the deadlift and get excited about it.

The bench press is awesome but I do it all the time and seem to have hit a wall. I think it would be good to put it on the back burner for just a little bit and work up the vertical pressing strength instead. My OHP is a lot weaker than my bench in relative terms, and I have only begun to train it regularly this year. I'm thinking neural gains still have pounds to give there.

So, I'm thinking of putting together a U/L with OHP and deadlift with primary emphasis, then programming a "maintenance day" for everything else. If I'm content with my other lifts for the time being, and it's true that maintenance only takes a small fraction of the same work as actual progress, then just choosing two lifts for a couple of months and really working them hard with one day or so a week to keep everything else from atrophying sounds like a good and fun approach.

[MyEgoProblem]

Cheers guys, threads been fun.
Next year will be the first fully coached year and also the first in starting without training absence, so numbers should get much bigger.


CW glad to hear the families already getting better

I should probably start he year actually training too...
😂
A full 6 months I'll be approaching pr territory easily! But cba rn

[coachcalande]

I’m pretty happy with this!

I have grown my squats from 390x3 to 400x6 in a few weeks!

https://youtu.be/ppW-fSaVvp8

Todays five sets with 400

400x6
400x4
400x3
400x3
400x3


So in one month, I have improved from 11 reps to a total of 19 in five sets. I’ll take it!

[SaviorSelfJT]

How about a show of hands on this? I'd be down too. This thread is 90% of my useful time spent on this forum, anyway; it's beneficial to log work and get feedback from others doing the same, as I'm sure the reverse is for you all. It's nice having a more or less tight-knit group of like-minded and committed people, as well. My motivation has been low lately, but I'm intent on keeping this a part of my life as long as I'm able-bodied and well. The modern world is toxic enough psychologically. Being sedentary in a white-collar capacity on top of that is no way to live.

Maybe instead of an actual, deliberate "challenge" (of powerlifting lifts, at that), we could simply each log individual goals and help each other achieve them? Something like what we discussed at the beginning of the thread would be exciting, but it understandably seems that's not feasible with everyone over such a long period of time. I do however like the idea of keeping some kind of "floating scoreboard" where we will periodically post recordholders for various categories - the 315 deadlift AMRAP, for instance; many excellent sets there but 20 was the highest with video proof. It's less structured but should keep some of the competition/challenge going without demanding too much as people can opt in or out of these various categories as they please or are able to. Also, it opens the scope up beyond 1RMs in the powerlifting exercises and the few auxiliary lifts mentioned earlier this year. I like that idea, at least. Thoughts?

Just some thoughts on my own personal lifting goals going forward. Spoilers for no wall of text to the disinterested...

Spoiler!

I'm contemplating what my Q1 2022 lifting goals will be... Definitely staying below 110KG and red-flagging any window of time I'm above that; but besides that, attractive choices to me are really honing in on the deadlift, or trying to make a lot of progress with OHP. This year was a modest improvement in almost every regard, fitness wise. I lost at least 15 pounds of fat while getting stronger across the board; achieved familiarity with the squat and a decent number there even if it's still a laggard, did plenty of distance running, followed a formal program to the T and think I learned a little bit about programming from that, on paper and in practice.

That Candito program is so squat-heavy - all deadlift attempts except for the max-setting and max-itself are performed after fairly intense squats in every case - and the deadlift and squat share so much of the same musculature, that I think having trained up the squat decently with it this year, but now switching to a deadlift emphasis in training might result in a stride of progress. To me, the squat feels like a necessity to earn the "lifter" card, but I actually love the deadlift and get excited about it.

The bench press is awesome but I do it all the time and seem to have hit a wall. I think it would be good to put it on the back burner for just a little bit and work up the vertical pressing strength instead. My OHP is a lot weaker than my bench in relative terms, and I have only begun to train it regularly this year. I'm thinking neural gains still have pounds to give there.

So, I'm thinking of putting together a U/L with OHP and deadlift with primary emphasis, then programming a "maintenance day" for everything else. If I'm content with my other lifts for the time being, and it's true that maintenance only takes a small fraction of the same work as actual progress, then just choosing two lifts for a couple of months and really working them hard with one day or so a week to keep everything else from atrophying sounds like a good and fun approach.

I'm good with a 'looser' form of competition

We could keep a running tally via a google spreadsheet, and link it in the OP of the thread

PS: Clear your DMs!

[CW47]

CW glad to hear the families already getting better

Thanks Wolf

Congrats CW47 on making progress

Its a bit embarassing that not only do I not have progress, but actually regressed from my top lifts and not by a small margin

Thanks Savior. Only reason I would make up ground on any of you at this point (considering I'm 47 and have very limited exercise time) is because of consistency. I'm sure you know that it's just a matter of putting in the time and effort consistently. The gains are ripe for the taking any time you choose.

CW, I'm glad you're all already feeling better - seems this time around it's more mild, but that could indeed be an ominous premature statement to make at the same time.

EDIT: Somehow I didn't register your lifts until just now. Great job and IIRC all of that is a huge slew of progress in just one year. The squat looks like it might be a little bit shallow, but I can't tell because the plate blocks your femurs mostly. However, that deadlift has got to feel great. Getting 4 plates for the first time to me was an awesome feeling which I'm certain everyone who gets it surely experiences.

Thanks Eli. It's mild enough that I would not have even considered calling in sick to work if I hadn't tested positive. Mostly just mild body aches and tiredness. Baby is almost fully recovered at this point, which is obviously the most important thing to us.

And yes, that 300 pound squat was pretty crappy, lol. No argument from me on that. Would definitely not have counted in a competition. If I was seriously competing with anyone here I wouldn't count it, and would go with my 295 that was to depth. But I'm only competing against myself. Next time I do it will be to 'legal' depth, but I'm content with it as is.

I should probably start he year actually training too...

Yes, you should!


I've thoroughly enjoyed this thread, watching everyone's progress and struggles. I send my appreciation to all of you (not just those I've quoted here). I've learned a ton from you all.

I would be 100% on board for another thread in 2022. A less strict focus would be welcomed, as I've been doing pretty high intensity work for the past ~18 months and am planning to shift gears. I still hope to increase my max's on the main lifts, but it will not be my primary goal in 2022 as it was for 2021. My goals are still somewhat nebulous at this point, but I have a basic idea.

First goal is bodyweight related - wanting to drop around 15 pounds.

Second goal is work capacity, which I want to address through a couple of routes. Before getting my home gym setup I was doing a lot of bodyweight stuff - pushups, situps, etc. I want to get back to doing that - something like 3-4 rounds of pushups, situps, pullups per day. Also want to build up work capacity by doing something akin to Wenning Warmups. Light, high-rep work before my main work, focusing on movements that align with my main exercise for the day. Also may play around with doing longer ramp-ups (smaller weight jumps) to add in more volume.

For main movements I want to work on progressing on lifts that I really enjoy. Yoke Bar Squat to 335, Floor Press to 225, and Sumo Deadlift to 475 are my initial goals, though I set numbers to them only to have something tangible to shoot for. I've also identified secondary lifts I plan to include regularly to help build these 3 main lifts.

My overarching plan is to 'peak' only twice this year. I'll work my way up to higher volumes gradually, and then taper down from there. Don't have anything really concrete planned right now. I will play it by ear and see how my body reacts.

[EliKoehn]

PS: Clear your DMs!

Done.

And yeah, if no one objects, we can keep this same thread going for those who are interested in continuing.

We could continue to add categories as certain lifts are attempted rather than having preset criteria. We can start with the 315 deadlift AMRAP for instance. The 225 T&G bench AMRAP is a lot of fun too.. surely my 17 there isn't still currently the record?

Ego, did you really get 30+ reps on that deadlift? You mentioned something about that a while back but no video that I recall.. That would be an insane set.

[WolfRose7]

Done.

And yeah, if no one objects, we can keep this same thread going for those who are interested in continuing.

We could continue to add categories as certain lifts are attempted rather than having preset criteria. We can start with the 315 deadlift AMRAP for instance. The 225 T&G bench AMRAP is a lot of fun too.. surely my 17 there isn't still currently the record?

Ego, did you really get 30+ reps on that deadlift? You mentioned something about that a while back but no video that I recall.. That would be an insane set.

I definitely won't be hitting 17 at 100 soon.

Onboard for the fun ideas, though I won't be disrupting training with random tests of compounds.

[MyEgoProblem]

Done.

And yeah, if no one objects, we can keep this same thread going for those who are interested in continuing.

We could continue to add categories as certain lifts are attempted rather than having preset criteria. We can start with the 315 deadlift AMRAP for instance. The 225 T&G bench AMRAP is a lot of fun too.. surely my 17 there isn't still currently the record?

Ego, did you really get 30+ reps on that deadlift? You mentioned something about that a while back but no video that I recall.. That would be an insane set.

Yeah. 32 or 33 reps.
Was a while ago, video will be 3or 4 phones ago..

and ive not really been training much this last few months so any promises I've made to try again have mostly gone ignored by my self.

I did 20*140kg yesterday tho, Beltless sumo (full reset) cos I was mad i missed 200 with straps and took it easily mixed. And im kinda feeling that volume in my ass and upper back today.

Judging by that, its not its probably still on if my hands do nt get torn up

Should train more next year.. Lul

[EliKoehn]

^^ Uhh, I thought you did that like last month? Are you sure that was several phones ago?

Somewhat disappointing bench session, but oh well... I can't fit in the rest of the 6 week program for the end of the year so I'm just doing my own makeshift final acclimating set before the max attempt on bench. I've done better, but I've eaten poorly and been drinking like a sailor, for what it's worth.

Bench:
135 x 8, 185 x 4, 225 x 3, 275 x 2, 320 x 0.5, 295 x 2.5, x 2

Got 320 T&G halfway up without a spot but had to rack it on the middle pins, then 2.5 reps with 295, then just called it after a weak set of 2 on that final set. I'll go for a max soon but this prep session felt fairly weak tbh...

EDIT: Pretty sure that final set was actually just a single.

[MyEgoProblem]

^^ Uhh, I thought you did that like last month? Are you sure that was several phones ago?

Somewhat disappointing bench session, but oh well... I can't fit in the rest of the 6 week program for the end of the year so I'm just doing my own makeshift final acclimating set before the max attempt on bench. I've done better, but I've eaten poorly and been drinking like a sailor, for what it's worth.

Bench:
135 x 8, 185 x 4, 225 x 3, 275 x 2, 320 x 0.5, 295 x 2.5, x 2

Got 320 T&G halfway up without a spot but had to rack it on the middle pins, then 2.5 reps with 295, then just called it after a weak set of 2 on that final set. I'll go for a max soon but this prep session felt fairly weak tbh...

Deadlift amrap with 3pps?
Ok let's gooo.

Last time i stopped at 32 cos i tore a Callus getting sweaty.

See what tomo brings after 4 deadlift days in a row..

Can confirm the power bloat situation!
Great for squat
Great for bench
Exceptional for geared squat and bench
Usually Terrible for dead, especially with short arms

Nope.
Was a couple of years ago when i did the 32. Was at the old site that closed on 2019.

I didn't get around to trying again. Like i said Haven't really been training the last few month.

[EliKoehn]

Nope.
Was a couple of years ago when i did the 32. Was at the old site that closed on 2019.

I didn't get around to trying again. Like i said Haven't really been training the last few month.

What old site closed in 2019? That's the year I joined the forums but I don't remember it looking different when I lurked beforehand.

I'd be interested in seeing you seriously try, given what you've said you've done in the past.

[MyEgoProblem]

What old site closed in 2019? That's the year I joined the forums but I don't remember it looking different when I lurked beforehand.

I'd be interested in seeing you seriously try, given what you've said you've done in the past.

The old gym site i trained at.
That's how i know how long ago it was 😂

[Filmbuff81]

If you guys decide to keep this going I might join in.

Once gyms re-open after the lockdown I’m gonna be in need of some heavy weight again and I’ve got some concurrent physique and strength goals I was closing in on before my car accident and subsequent rehabbing that got derailed to end the year.

Currently dying on mainly 15+ rep sets while I do a super hard cut since I have no ego to keep me from losing a ton of fat for the next month, since strength will be dropping anyway from lack of practice.

[EliKoehn]

Would be glad to have you along. I for one would not be competitive with your strength level but would appreciate the challenge/motivation.

--

Had to collapse my final max-setting set week into some awkward and brief ramp-up work in a couple of sessions this week. Feeling pretty good about the bench, and deadlift (except for the annoying grip issue, but with chalk this shouldn't be a problem) is feeling stronger and more properly coordinated, so we'll see how five plates fares! Squat I'm going into blind, but 375 seems like it would be manageable right now. If not, oh well.

Last night as I was falling asleep, I had one of those sudden and acute jolts of existential realization that disturbed me a little and I couldn't fall back asleep until much later. The kind where some fact already known as a proposition "occurs" to you in a more attuned way. In this case it was one of those "momento mori" situations where the reality of death startles you, like how you could die randomly or your health could suddenly fail, etc., and the people you love and care about will all someday be gone. Of course, no honest empiricist could conclude that there's nothing beyond it (and I personally believe that our common intuition that it's not the final end is correct), but from our vantage it's obviously real. Today I felt fine and happy most of the day. Weird how your mind can curveball you like that seemingly at random.

Anyway, as it pertains to lifting, I didn't sleep much but still managed a promising final acclimation session for my max attempts tomorrow and Friday.

Flat Bench:
45 x 12, 135 x 8, 185 x 4, 225 x 3, 275 x 2, 295 x 3 (final rep @10 but powered through with minimal grind) 305 x 1 (clean, smooth, and @9 or so)

Deadlift:
405 x 1, 455 x 1 (annoyingly, dropped it halfway down as my grip failed, but it held through the top - broke the floor quickly and felt tight and smooth on the concentric)

[Filmbuff81]

Would be glad to have you along. I for one would not be competitive with your strength level but would appreciate the challenge/motivation.

--

Had to collapse my final max-setting set week into some awkward and brief ramp-up work in a couple of sessions this week. Feeling pretty good about the bench, and deadlift (except for the annoying grip issue, but with chalk this shouldn't be a problem) is feeling stronger and more properly coordinated, so we'll see how five plates fares! Squat I'm going into blind, but 375 seems like it would be manageable right now. If not, oh well.

Last night as I was falling asleep, I had one of those sudden and acute jolts of existential realization that disturbed me a little and I couldn't fall back asleep until much later. The kind where some fact already known as a proposition "occurs" to you in a more attuned way. In this case it was one of those "momento mori" situations where the reality of death startles you, like how you could die randomly or your health could suddenly fail, etc., and the people you love and care about will all someday be gone. Of course, no honest empiricist could conclude that there's nothing beyond it (and I personally believe that our common intuition that it's not the final end is correct), but from our vantage it's obviously real. Today I felt fine and happy most of the day. Weird how your mind can curveball you like that seemingly at random.

Anyway, as it pertains to lifting, I didn't sleep much but still managed a promising final acclimation session for my max attempts tomorrow and Friday.

Flat Bench:
45 x 12, 135 x 8, 185 x 4, 225 x 3, 275 x 2, 295 x 3 (final rep @10 but powered through with minimal grind) 305 x 1 (clean, smooth, and @9 or so)

Deadlift:
405 x 1, 455 x 1 (annoyingly, dropped it halfway down as my grip failed, but it held through the top - broke the floor quickly and felt tight and smooth on the concentric)

Nice job.

Nothing like some late night existential dread to keep you awake.

I remember having that first happen when I was like 10 lol.

You might wanna experiment with hook grip for singles eventually. Or if you’re not planning to compete just strap up.

For me I’m just hoping to maintain strength or somehow eek out gains while I drop to sub 200.

So we will see where the new year takes me lol, it’ll just be fun to tag along and root form you guys to keep climbing.

I’d like to try a PL meet one time but I’ve injured my left hand a few times so the grip is pretty iffy and so I’ve had to re-learn hook.

[CW47]

Been easing back into it after not lifting for almost a week after testing positive for covid. Did Yoke Bar squats 2 days ago and they totally wiped me out energy wise. Did some speed bench yesterday and energy level was maintained a little better. Now today I did some deadlifting and feel nearly back to normal.

December 30, 2021: Sumo Deadlift
365 pounds x 1 rep [8.5 RPE]

Was shooting for a 7.5-8 RPE and overshot it slightly I think (though I might have still had 2 reps in the tank). In conjunction with lowing RPE on my top sets and focusing on technique work for the next months, I'm also working on creating good setup habits on all of my lifts. This should help with consistency, and keep me focused on just the essentials. Got a basic routine down today for deadlifts. Set feet, get air/brace, pull out slack, then go. Of course, I've been doing all of these steps already, just with a lot of fidgeting and wasted motion and time. My goal is to have the entire process of lifting be efficient from the moment I step to the bar.

[EliKoehn]

^^ I've found that the Dunning-Krueger effect applies to lifting as well.. it seems as recently as the second half of this year, I've learned a lot about just the basics, several years into lifting with a lot of time and effort devoted, and once again find a lot "noviceness" in some thoughts and opinions held at its beginning; a continuation of the ironic commentary I made of my own assessment last year of 2020. In particular with the deadlift, where getting the slack out of the bar and "activating" the working muscles such that initiating the pull immediately begins the motion, rather than the tension, of the lift.

Unfortunately, after having been told that my gym would be open until 4:00pm today, I found out yesterday that they were closed the entire day, which flushed my attempt to compromise the rest of the program down the toilet. Yesterday, I attempted the 495 deadlift 3 times and broke the floor each time but stalled out... oh well, I woke up after a preparatory bread-laden, appetizer enhanced spaghetti dinner weighing 240.7, so I am especially happy that I was underneath my desired weight goal, and the max attempt was under undesirable circumstances and I haven't been eating ideally lately. In the context of the whole year, I call a modest victory.

Well gentlemen, it's been a good year for me as far as fitness and lifting go. I thank you all for your criticism, company, comradery and consistency (consonance amusingly not intended). I did not reach all of my stated goals, but met some of my most important ones, exceeded others, and still made progress in all areas. Bearing that in mind, I'm not at all disappointed with this area of my life.

Spoiler!

I have no intention of crowding this thread or annoying others in it, so the lengthier thoughts pertaining to myself alone I find it best to encapsulate. But since lifting has been such a large part of my own life these past couple of years, I think something of a personal memoir is fitting and all well and good, just don't want to impose it on anyone else.

As far as my own observations of progress go, in paricular...

- Squats. I am still beneath the status of those who can put four plates on their back, go all the way down, and then stand back up. They are in the league of the strong, and in that regard, I am not. However, 2021 was the first year of my lifting career in which I put forth consistent, serious effort with the squat. A possible precursor and exception is 2016, when I first began to barbell lift at all with any kind of legitimacy whatsoever, when I first ventured beyond curls and machines. Having a background with distance running (at uncompetitive speeds, admittedly - I thought my legs were strong and prided myself on making sure they were so, and so in this regard, fortunately I did not neglect squats and made sure to do so regularly. My first roommate in college was huge and could have been a bodybuilder himself, and he impressed in me the importance of not neglecting them, as well. At the time, they were incredibly weak, but at my level still difficult and an object of consistency - one plate for sixes, and such. I remember one day that summer, where a single rep at 185 nearly buckled me underneath it and gave me a deep ache of DOMS for days. In following years, I only did them every couple of months with little effort, and never made much further progress with them until in all of your company. Poor bracing, probably insufficient depth, and other aspects of weak form likely prevailed in the interim, despite some nominal lifts above two plates.

A shout out to ECGordyn. I know he occasionally drops in here even though he's moved on to other things in recent months, but thank you man for seriously challenging me with this lift. My own foolish ego mitigated the importance of this lift when I would primarily bench and had focused on lifts which did not depend on hip mobility or strength, thinking that the squat was optional for people who call themselves lifters, and it's really not. If you have a pretense of being strong in the gym, then bitching out of putting a heavy bar on your back and standing all the way up from depth with it is not an option. I'm still not there, but sets of 10 with 295 and then back off sets, and then deadlifts, are something I wouldn't have seriously considered doing prior to this year and a healthy dose of criticism against that attitude.

- Rows. I set a goal of 265 for a single, and quickly found that I could rep 275. It's nice to find that a particular goal is easily exceeded, but only accentuates where you fall short elsewhere. I've always found pulls easier than presses, and given how much attention I've given the bench press 2017-onward, it's relieving to find that rowing ~80% of it came very easily.

- Bench press. Three plates conquered - touch and go... paused remains in the lucrative spoils unconquered feats. While I want to continue making progress, if I can get to where I can put up three (paused) at a healthy body composition, I am much happier territory than falling beneath the ambitious goals of deadlifting, for the time being at least. To me, three plates is a big dividing line. Being able to do that is a big deal, but further progress is less important. Being in a room and knowing you're probably the only guy who can put up 315 is great. And if you're in the rare company of someone who could do more than that, he would at least respect you for being in the club, as long as you're not being a braggart. In this regard, I feel *almost* content. I know I'm close to the strength level to pause 315, but I've still not done it, so the proverbial whole nine yards have not been gone... Nevertheless, I'm proud of the progress I've painstakingly made in this left, since it was so hard and weak initially and I've slogged away at it since January 2017 when single-digit reps of 135 resulted in failure. Getting to 245 for 10 or 275 for 6 from there really is an awesome feeling of victory! At the end of 2022, I'd like to be able to put up 315 any day of the week that I'm fresh. It seems I'm only about 90% of the way there, so more work is necessary.

- Deadlift. My favorite lift. I conquered 5 plates beltless with a raw, chalkless grip! That is perhaps my happiest achievement in all of my amateur lifting career. Yes, it was at ~260 pounds and I was not able to replicate it having lost the weight, but it remains an incredible feeling. I even realize that among serious deadlifters, it's pipsqueak weak and you can't start talking until you've pulled six, but from my own microcosmic perspective in my own little slice of this world, it felt amazing and I am so happy about this. The deadlift is a joy and I hope to be performing it as long as I'm able-bodied enough to stand. For 2022, my primary fitness goal is to pull 545 less than 110KG, and I sincerely think I'll get there and look forward to the forthcoming hard work with eagerness.

- Pull ups. At the end of last year, I managed about 5-8 on a good day with some difficulty. Now it's 10. That's a good feeling. Even though I'm still somewhat overweight, being able to do 10 clean pullups is one of those rules of thumb for fitness where if it's possible, your strength level supersedes your bodyweight as an overriding concern. I'm really happy about this, and never managed it in previous years.

- Distance running. Sporadically throughout the year, I went on distance runs. Again, I'm not very fast, but I managed rewarding distances for a bodyweight consistently 230+. In March I ran around my local Lake Hefner 9+ miles continuously without lapsing into a walk at a bodyweight of 237 upon returning dehydrated. Throughout the summer, I ran 4-6 miles on a near-weekly basis in the heat, again without lapsing into a walk. Before I started lifting seriously, I did run for distance and it's rewarding to find that I still have that ability in me despite having put on a significant amount of weight since then.

- Bodyweight. This is perhaps the most rewarding goal. I, having eaten plenty at Christmas, at restaurants, and otherwise celebrating the end of the year and waking up beneath 110KG, within the weight class I want to be competitive within. For much of last year and for a good deal of this year, I was hovering around 260 and significantly overweight. Now, I look much better and am less concerned about weaker relative lifts in this weight group than when I was heavier, than with the weight lost. My waist went from 41" to 37-38", and now I have some resting definition which was previously completely absent. I am still significantly overweight by bodybuilding standards and still straddling the fence by nonathletic standards, but it's been a huge slew of progress this year for having gotten objectively stronger this year, that I'm quite happy with the result. Please chide me if I reverse course next year, but I don't expect it.

Happy New Year everyone! Let's continue to make progress in 2022 in this lifelong pursuit.

[WolfRose7]

Happy new year all.

Always good to see your spirit Eli, though I can't agree on 3 plated bench.. I'm nowhere near it atm and still care way more about 150kg lmao.

Also really chasing 200kg squat now, obviously not close but I reckon it's in the future

[CW47]

Yes, great year all, and may we all exceed our goals in 2022!

December 31, 2021: Feet up Bench
135 pounds - 6 sets x 3 reps
Final session of the year. This was much harder than I anticipated. I thought 70% of my 1RM would be a breeze for triples, and almost started off at 80% instead. Good thing I didn't, lol.
Due to how challenging this was, I may focus on adding reps rather than adding weight each time.

January 1, 2022: High Bar Squat
195 pounds x 1 rep [7.5 RPE]
135 pounds - 2 sets x 5 reps
Wanted to keep the top set around a 7 RPE. Back off work was to be 3 sets of 5 today. Started getting light headed after the second set (still feeling it now almost 30 minutes later). My work capacity starting point is worse than I thought, but no worries - we'll get there eventually.