There's a Ham in the Power Rack! Part II

[SophieM]

Losing weight and hitting PR's, that's what I'm talking about! Awesome!!

And THANK YOU so much for the card. That was super sweet.

[thehobbes]

Good lord, you do about as much back work in one day as I do in a month. Making me feel like I'm a serious slacker.

I love back work, rows and pull ups are where it's at mang!

I made up that description, I'm not sure what the name is. Weight shifting over to one side...bar might still come up evenly, but you end up pushing more with one leg. It's usually a compensation.

Dunno the name either but can confirm it is a real thing, my DL does that a little bit. After like 6 sets I have to shove the whole thing back over to the right.

I feel like this journal always has funny stuff in it that makes me laugh.

Really strong squats yesterday, very impressive!

Well at least I have that sorted so you guys aren't laughing at my squats! J/k, thanks Maxima, they're coming along.

Losing weight and hitting PR's, that's what I'm talking about! Awesome!!

And THANK YOU so much for the card. That was super sweet.

I'm tryna rampage it with the force of 1,000 suns! You're welcome, so glad you got it already!

[BubsNBean]

Hi Ham!!!

[thehobbes]

Hi Ham!!!

Hey Bubz!

[JenSTL4]

That was a chit ton of work today, Hammie! Way to kill it! Good job on the rep increases and those pull-ups! How long did it take you to do all of that?? I've read through it twice now and am completely exhausted!

I feel like this journal always has funny stuff in it that makes me laugh.

Ditto this So many LOLs in here for sure!

[thehobbes]

That was a chit ton of work today, Hammie! Way to kill it! Good job on the rep increases and those pull-ups! How long did it take you to do all of that?? I've read through it twice now and am completely exhausted!

That took me about 2 hours in the gym but like 45 min of it was stretching and foam rolling. Haha, it does seem like so much when I type it out, when I'm doing it I am a volcano of energy. A volcano who does pull ups.

[viccles007]

Squattages and pull ups of awesomeness Hammie. Eight pull ups is awesome! I used to be the same when I was able to lift heavy - I loved doing singles and doubles. Anything over 3 reps I was like NOOO LOL

[itsagoodday]

The 245s look pretty good I think, they were heavy but not terribly difficult. Current max is 255 but I'm sure I could do a bit more than that at this point, will have to give it shot soon. I really like doing a lot of singles and doubles on my compounds now that I'm getting used to it. It's a lot easier mentally for me personally. If something is below my current max I know yeah of course I can do this for one rep. It's been a very positive way to approach these heavier weights which I rarely incorporated into normal training days before.

Sheesh, you're killing it over here! Glad you like the heavy singles work! For me, heavy singles are just a completely different tool than rep work. Reps are more where it's at for building strength, but I think mileage with heavy singles allows you to display that strength better when you do go for a 1RM

Dunno the name either but can confirm it is a real thing, my DL does that a little bit. After like 6 sets I have to shove the whole thing back over to the right.

I notice this when I try to put the bar down more slowly / gently / quietly. It always drifts to the right. If I just put the stupid thing down quickly, it goes down straight. I'm just going to chalk this up to one of those things in life that confuses me. It's a long list

[thehobbes]

Squattages and pull ups of awesomeness Hammie. Eight pull ups is awesome! I used to be the same when I was able to lift heavy - I loved doing singles and doubles. Anything over 3 reps I was like NOOO LOL

Very happy to be getting back on the pull up train, I wanna be really really good at those. Singles and doubles are FUN!

Sheesh, you're killing it over here! Glad you like the heavy singles work! For me, heavy singles are just a completely different tool than rep work. Reps are more where it's at for building strength, but I think mileage with heavy singles allows you to display that strength better when you do go for a 1RM

The main thing I've noticed with the singles is they get me really comfortable handling heavy wt. Trying maxes before was like whoa, this is 30lb over what I usually do, and it was a bit more intimidating. The mental aspect has been very valuable for me. That said, I realized I can't always train with a bunch of heavy ass singles, so I'm gonna get a nice variety of methods going.

I notice this when I try to put the bar down more slowly / gently / quietly. It always drifts to the right. If I just put the stupid thing down quickly, it goes down straight. I'm just going to chalk this up to one of those things in life that confuses me. It's a long list

Maybe that's why, I put my DL bar down really gingerly because I don't wanna break my plates or floor, that chit's expensive to replace haha.

------------------------------------------------------------

Well guys I finally did it, after about a year of wanting one and a couple people around here talking about it recently I ordered a bench press slingshot, got the original red one. It will arrive before the weekend so I'll get to try it out on bp day. I've done some heavy ass singles the last 4 sessions (A LOT of singles not just one or two sets.) I feel like I should work on some sets of 2-4 at times as well. I'll be doing a variety of things, with heavy ass singles in there sometimes of course, and hopefully adding in some work with the slingshot after my regular sets will help me build up my bp to where I want to be. Also that thing looks like a lot of fun.

[SophieM]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the slingshot!

[Echo814]

Thanks Lou1se!


Whatttt, did you? Crap dunno why I didn't realize that haha.
EDIT: Found it! 2/28, holy ham why did I never follow up on that. Exactly as described - much like LP and Hollywood Undead.

Das it mane.

Jus gonna leave dis here...



Strong squats and weigh in in heer!!!

[itsagoodday]

The main thing I've noticed with the singles is they get me really comfortable handling heavy wt. Trying maxes before was like whoa, this is 30lb over what I usually do, and it was a bit more intimidating. The mental aspect has been very valuable for me.

For sure, same here. Also with squats, I find it harder to do basic things like breathe, walk out the weight, and set my feet with heavier weights on my back. It helps to be more comfortable doing those things ahead of time.

Well guys I finally did it, after about a year of wanting one and a couple people around here talking about it recently I ordered a bench press slingshot, got the original red one. It will arrive before the weekend so I'll get to try it out on bp day. I've done some heavy ass singles the last 4 sessions (A LOT of singles not just one or two sets.) I feel like I should work on some sets of 2-4 at times as well. I'll be doing a variety of things, with heavy ass singles in there sometimes of course, and hopefully adding in some work with the slingshot after my regular sets will help me build up my bp to where I want to be. Also that thing looks like a lot of fun.

Oh geez, you're going to be putting up 225 easy with that thing lol. The red is a blast, you'll be able to get a lot out of it. Play around with where on your arms to wear it. I find that with the red one specifically, if I don't have it in just the right spot, it will flip over when it hits my boobs. While I generally agree that men and women should train the same way, I'm sure that no men have experienced a slingshot flipping over their boobs, so there isn't a lot of information on the internet about it lol.

[thehobbes]

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on the slingshot!

Excited to try it. Watched a ton of vids on it and saw somebody trying it out at the gym recently. I think it's gonna put some jam in my ham.

Jus gonna leave dis here...

Mirin', that one and Gone are pretty badass. They remind me of Powerman 5000.

Strong squats and weigh in in heer!!!

Das it mang!

For sure, same here. Also with squats, I find it harder to do basic things like breathe, walk out the weight, and set my feet with heavier weights on my back. It helps to be more comfortable doing those things ahead of time.

There's something about having all the weight on top of you being worse, instead of DL just let go or bp bring the bar down to the safeties and get out. Fail on 135 on squat and who cares, I can toss that outta my way with my pinky, but 250+ is like "there's a walmart shopper riding on my shoulders" big, chit's not gonna be pretty lulz.

Oh geez, you're going to be putting up 225 easy with that thing lol. The red is a blast, you'll be able to get a lot out of it. Play around with where on your arms to wear it. I find that with the red one specifically, if I don't have it in just the right spot, it will flip over when it hits my boobs. While I generally agree that men and women should train the same way, I'm sure that no men have experienced a slingshot flipping over their boobs, so there isn't a lot of information on the internet about it lol.

That's the goal, they claim up to 10% more wt with that thing so that's almost 20lb right there. I think again the mental aspect will help a lot, actually holding bigger wt in your hands and knowing you're gonna make it. I'll watch out for the boob thing. Yeah there are certainly not a lot of women using it, I've never seen any threads starting off "Boobs too pointy, slingshot flipping, wat do misc?!" As far as people over here I noticed Bubz was working with one the other day, also said it was awesome. And I was worried at first that it may not fit right due to me not having a really wide grip but you guys with similar t-rex arms are doing fine with it so I guess it's not a problem. I got a size large as it's supposed to fit people 140-180lbs so I'm right in the middle, should be ok.

[itsagoodday]

Fail on 135 on squat and who cares, I can toss that outta my way with my pinky, but 250+ is like "there's a walmart shopper riding on my shoulders" big, chit's not gonna be pretty lulz.

Thanks for that visual, I think ROFLMAO

That's the goal, they claim up to 10% more wt with that thing so that's almost 20lb right there. I think again the mental aspect will help a lot, actually holding bigger wt in your hands and knowing you're gonna make it. I'll watch out for the boob thing. Yeah there are certainly not a lot of women using it, I've never seen any threads starting off "Boobs too pointy, slingshot flipping, wat do misc?!" As far as people over here I noticed Bubz was working with one the other day, also said it was awesome. And I was worried at first that it may not fit right due to me not having a really wide grip but you guys with similar t-rex arms are doing fine with it so I guess it's not a problem. I got a size large as it's supposed to fit people 140-180lbs so I'm right in the middle, should be ok.

I've got a large and it's the perfect size even when I'm up and down in bodyweight, we're pretty similar sizes so should work great for you. 10% actually sounds more like what I get out of the blue one, I can get WAY more out of the red. Hmmm, trying to think of what I was getting with those last time I was using them regularly. My max was around 140x1, and I think with the blue I was getting a couple of reps around 155-160, but I think the first time I tried the red (with a good spotter and a hand-off) I got 185x2. That was a fun day

[VO2Maxima]

Would assume it'll be fine with a wide grip. If you look at shirted benchers, most of them are using a very wide grip, and Slingshot will probably be like shirt-lite. I've seen some people here using a wide-grip with a Ram, not sure why a Slingshot would be any different.

[itsagoodday]

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about the grip width. I was surprised with the red that it actually did take some effort to get my hands spaced out on the bar, you're basically stretching out a gigantic elastic band that doesn't necessarily want to be stretched. The wider you go, the more effort you'll have to put into getting your hands out there, but you're strong enough that I wouldn't expect it to be an issue for you at all.

Edit: wait, I read that wrong, you're saying your grip isn't wide. LOL. I can read. It's going to work any which way, you'll be fine. I may not be

[thehobbes]

I've got a large and it's the perfect size even when I'm up and down in bodyweight, we're pretty similar sizes so should work great for you. 10% actually sounds more like what I get out of the blue one, I can get WAY more out of the red. Hmmm, trying to think of what I was getting with those last time I was using them regularly. My max was around 140x1, and I think with the blue I was getting a couple of reps around 155-160, but I think the first time I tried the red (with a good spotter and a hand-off) I got 185x2. That was a fun day

I was surprised one size fit such a wide range of people weights, but I guess so! Ooo I'm so glad I went with the red! The blue sounded more like an assistance aid if you're working out with injuries, red more like a training aid to improve your bench. EVERY video I've seen of people using it is of huge freaking dudes so I'm guessing they're going with that 10% assuming a lot of people using it are already repping 3 plates in their sleep. Holy chit at hitting a 185 double with that thing! Wow, I'm excited!

Oh yeah and why I was wondering about the grip and body weight is also because I have yet to see a vid of like a 160lb person using it. I would think these huge dudes have way longer arms and wider grip than me, then again they're probably getting an XL size.

Would assume it'll be fine with a wide grip. If you look at shirted benchers, most of them are using a very wide grip, and Slingshot will probably be like shirt-lite. I've seen some people here using a wide-grip with a Ram, not sure why a Slingshot would be any different.

I meant I have a narrow (well narrower than most) grip and wanted to be sure my arms would be far enough apart for this to work. Pinky fingers are touching the rings, seems like most people spread out wider.

Yeah, I wouldn't worry about the grip width. I was surprised with the red that it actually did take some effort to get my hands spaced out on the bar, you're basically stretching out a gigantic elastic band that doesn't necessarily want to be stretched. The wider you go, the more effort you'll have to put into getting your hands out there, but you're strong enough that I wouldn't expect it to be an issue for you at all.

Edit: wait, I read that wrong, you're saying your grip isn't wide. LOL. I can read. It's going to work any which way, you'll be fine. I may not be

Lol I'm confusing everybody all up in here! Yeah I don't do a wide grip. Thinking about that more it goes over your elbow area I think so a couple inches here or there of where your hands are probably won't matter.

[VO2Maxima]

I meant I have a narrow (well narrower than most) grip and wanted to be sure my arms would be far enough apart for this to work. Pinky fingers are touching the rings, seems like most people spread out wider.

I think that should be fine. Most of the women at my gym are about middle fingers on the rings, so you're not that much narrower. (I am nowhere near the rings, don't know how any of you guys get that wide lol).

You should probably post a video where the camera is above you of you making angry faces while benching while using the Slanger, I will make it into a Slingshot ad lol.

[thehobbes]

DL/OHP/CGBP

SUPPS:
PRE: ANIMAL Rage 2 scoops
INTRA: none
POST: Con-Cret 1.5 scoops

LOCATION: Home gym
BODY WEIGHT: 168

WARMUP:
-Foam Rolling with Spike 5min
-Arm circles of peace
-BW squats

BACK:
DL:
*raw, do
135x7
185x5
*Versa Grips
225x3
*belt
255x3
275x1
290x1
290x fail, damnit was getting really confused with new form changes, wtf
275x1 easy, there we go
275x3 (vid)
275x3 (vid)
275x3 (vid)
255x3

very doable, should definitely be able to hit singles at 290 and up, form changes temporarily turned me into a retarded frog today



SHOULDERS:
Seated OHP:
45x12
60x7
75x5
90x3
100x4
100x3
100x3
Awww yeah, finally getting somewhere with these!

TRI:
CGBP:
*wrist wraps
45x8
95x10
115x10
135x8
145x5 (vid)
145x5

smooth sets, trying to do these really controlled with a slight stop at the chest


RC WORK:
Standing Y/T/Ls:
5s for 15, 15, 15
5s for 15, 15, 15

External Rotations with RED Bands:
1x12
1x12

CARDIO:
Bike: 15min, Circuit 1, Level 5, 4.6 miles

OTHER PREHAB:
-Stretching 30min
-Foam Rolling with Spike on wall 5min


Very fun workout, really getting into all the new music by From Ashes to New. Thank you talented people for creating such awesomeness to lift to. OHP and close grip bench went great. I've never gotten that many sets out at 100 on OHP, getting good at those. Close grip is always easy, focusing on form and control with that.

DL was great numbers wise again but I really should have been able to get out more heavy singles even above 290. Still working on this new form, which confuses me because it looks more like a SLDL when I look at it, but it truly is how I'm getting more power out of this lift. I tried to lower my butt more on the second 290 attempt, spent too much time setting up, and butt being low made it a no go. Got form sorted with 275 and still got in some strong sets there. It helps if I set up quickly and don't crouch down to get my straps set, too much time being low and the lift is not gonna happen. Working on it, DL is still much stronger now than it was a couple weeks ago.

Looks like tomorrow will be squats, pull ups, and rows. Forearm has been fine so maybe I can go back to bb rows, if not I'll do db rows.

[Partyrocking]

Can I rent your cgbp skills?

[thehobbes]

I think that should be fine. Most of the women at my gym are about middle fingers on the rings, so you're not that much narrower. (I am nowhere near the rings, don't know how any of you guys get that wide lol).

Fark middle fingers on the rings, wtf that is really wide! I don't think my shoulders would like that one bit.

You should probably post a video where the camera is above you of you making angry faces while benching while using the Slanger, I will make it into a Slingshot ad lol.

On it.

Can I rent your cgbp skills?

Lol no I need to keep that 24/7 just in case a flying couch ever lands on me, it's been pretty windy outside this week. Secret for any bp movement for me seems to be "turn off your brain," srs, it's been working for me.

[viccles007]

Nice CGBP and deadlifting Hammie! I like how you are so controlled between reps. I think I was the only one who used to throw the bar down between reps. LOL

[thehobbes]

Nice CGBP and deadlifting Hammie! I like how you are so controlled between reps. I think I was the only one who used to throw the bar down between reps. LOL

Thanks Vic! Haha probably would do more throwing if in commercial gym, would be all sadpanda.jpg if I broke my own plates though!

-----------------------------------------------

My Bench press Slingshot has arrived, I tried it out today!! I am soooo confused you guys, it fits (it's much smaller and tighter than I thought it'd be), I got it to work, felt great, only went up to 135 cause today is not even bp day but wanted to make sure I wasn't gonna take off my own head trying to figure this out. Will upload a vid later. I did 135x22. I have soooo many questions. Obviously it is not intended for crazy high reps like that so will have to add a lot more wt to make this effective I guess, but yeah I have so many questions. If you've ever used this thing GTFIH later, your wisdom is needed!

This thing was a combo of Christmas morning + mind = exploded.





Yeah need to add way more wt, hoping at the very least this thing will drill it in my brain to use better form.

[SophieM]

Bench of awesomeness!!

[thehobbes]

Bench of awesomeness!!

That thing was fun, haha!

[thehobbes]

SQUATS/PULL UPS/ROWS/BP SLINGSHOT

SUPPS:
PRE: Con-Cret Pre1 2 scoops
INTRA: Con-Cret 1.5 scoops
POST: none

LOCATION: Home gym
BODY WEIGHT: 168

WARMUP:
-Foam Rolling with Spike 6min
-Arm circles of peace
-BW squats

LEGS:
Squats:
*rehband knee sleeves
45x12
95x9
135x6
*Liquid Grip
165x3
*belt
195x3
225x6 *tied rep PR
235x4 *Rep PR
235x3

BACK:
Pull Ups:
bw x 7
bw x 6
bw x 5
bw x 4
bw x 4
bw x 4
bw x 4
bw x 4
bw x 4
bw x 4
bw x 4
^^^total of 50

Bent Over BB Rows:
(haven't done in a few weeks, forearm was fine until 115 set :/ )
45x15
75x15
95x12
115x7
95x12
gonna go back to db rows for a while

CHEST:
Bench Press with Red Slingshot:
135x22

first real set with these, just got my slingshot today, definitely need more wt, playing around to see how this thing works



CARDIO:
Bike: 10min, Circuit 1, Level 5, 3.1 miles

OTHER PREHAB:
-Stretching 30min
-Foam Rolling with Spike on wall 5min


Only did a few squats today since hams are sore from DL yesterday, went well, pull ups were good too, and going to sub in db rows for bb for a while.

Slingshot of peace! Ok it took me 20min and watching an instructional vid 3x to figure out how to wear this thing, srs, did not compute in my brain. I'm wearing it on my upper arms and apparently it's whatever way fits you better, tried on lower arms and it did not work at all. The armholes are REALLY tight, I was able to get my hands out to my normal grip easily, pinky fingers right up against the rings. Tried an empty bar and that did not work at all, I'm assuming you need like a plate on there for the red for it to even do anything? Was paranoid that some flexibility/muscle in me was screwed up so bad to the point where I wouldn't be able to use the sling, but at 135 it really came together. And with as easy as it made a plate I'm wondering what kind of wt I need to be using to really get some good work in with this? I'm trying to be safe and reasonable with it so no I don't want to go throwing on more than my max, I want to get used to this first.

For example 175 singles raw for me are very doable, heavy, but I'm not gonna fail them. So if after my normal bp workout (after doing a couple easy warm up sets with the sling of course to get the feel for it) I go to 175 with that, then the goal would be to do multiple reps at 175 to make this benefit me? For you guys who have experience with this what kind of rep range would you say you should work in with the sling? I'm assuming 10+ is too high and kind of pointless? And it's more for like multiple reps at a heavy wt, not trying to hit even heavier singles, correct?

I want to work in a reasonable range and eventually do doubles/triples past my raw max. I'm thinking that needs to be a pretty slow process though because that's a lot of wt on your joints if it's a wt you've never touched before. The ultimate goal here is to better my form and break a 200 raw bp. Have hit 190 once before, but I'm not sure continuing to do a crapload of heavy singles every week (175-180) is sustainable or the safest approach. Would really like to get my form exactly where it should be too so my reps are efficient and safe. The sling is locking me into a consistent bar path/form so I'm hoping this will carry over to raw just from the repetition of doing the sling reps.

And honestly I was not sure if the red one if offering me too much help, especially considering I'm not benching a huge amount. I did some searches on this site and youtube and apparently a lot of female lifters with lower maxes are indeed working with the red, not that it means that's the best way to go, simply an observation, so I don't feel like a complete idiot going with the red, haha.

My shoulders, elbows, and everything felt amazing and very protected with the sling. This may be a good way to work with heavier wt more often without beating the hell out of my joints, not that anything was bothersome before. Is there anything I need to be extra aware of as far as the sling re-directing stress on another muscle/joint/area? I think maybe I should incorporate wrist wraps at a certain wt, never had any wrist issues before, but that would be something that is just kinda out there with no protection otherwise.

Any thoughts on this are appreciated!

[VO2Maxima]

I don't have any experience with the Slingshot personally, but I do know quite a few people who have used it and know how to program it in a way that makes sense. Most of them are doing raw bench to build up to it, then doing a few overload sets at the end with it, generally low rep. You definitely need weight on there...it's like a shirt or wraps or a suit...if there's not enough weight, you're not even going to get the bar down to your chest. They're also not using it every week...for example, one guy who I've specifically asked about it uses it once per month. That's not to say that's the *only* way to utilize it, but that's how I've seen the powerlifters that I know use it.

[thehobbes]

I don't have any experience with the Slingshot personally, but I do know quite a few people who have used it and know how to program it in a way that makes sense. Most of them are doing raw bench to build up to it, then doing a few overload sets at the end with it, generally low rep. You definitely need weight on there...it's like a shirt or wraps or a suit...if there's not enough weight, you're not even going to get the bar down to your chest. They're also not using it every week...for example, one guy who I've specifically asked about it uses it once per month. That's not to say that's the *only* way to utilize it, but that's how I've seen the powerlifters that I know use it.

Awesome, thanks for the info! Gonna work with it more Saturday and see about how much wt I need to add to get some valuable low rep sets at the end after my normal sets. Will start slow to get over the awkwardness of wearing it. Good to know about not using it every week, I'll plan on spacing it out so I'm not doing it every time. Also trying to avoid doing heavy singles every workout, they've been working really well for me but I feel like I shouldn't be doing that all the time. Mentally they've been great because wts that I used to do only once in a while are now becoming comfortable in my hands if only for just single reps.

[Partyrocking]

I was able to bench heavy singles 3 days a week for about 8 weeks before my joints started to get mad at me, and I'm not a good bencher, so I imagine people who have actually acclimated to higher volume could go longer (or for more days in the week). In contrast I was able to squat 6 days a week for 8 weeks without any trouble until the 9th week.

I would probably try a 4-6 week block with them and then see where you're at by the end. I bet you'll smash your 200 goal before you're done and then be all now what?

BM training was the fastest my lifts have gone up since I left the newbie stage. A large part of it is skill development vs. building strength, but I'm pretty sure I built strength too. I just used backoff sets to autoregulate the volume.

[thehobbes]

I was able to bench heavy singles 3 days a week for about 8 weeks before my joints started to get mad at me, and I'm not a good bencher, so I imagine people who have actually acclimated to higher volume could go longer (or for more days in the week). In contrast I was able to squat 6 days a week for 8 weeks without any trouble until the 9th week.

That blows my mind that some of you guys around here can do that kind of frequency. I'd love benching a second day during the week but I feel like I'm constantly trying to even out just that one day per week by doing a massive amount of back work. Compared to my other lifts bench is way ahead progress wise so I get a little hesitant to overdo that one cause I'm already doing a decent amount of wt. Squat and DL however is where it seems I have a long way to go even with the basics and figuring out wtf to do with form, and once I get that chit sorted those lifts should progress out of pure efficiency. And with this long cut I've been on and not losing anything on my lifts, that really proves that I wasn't lifting as efficiently as I could have to begin with.

I would probably try a 4-6 week block with them and then see where you're at by the end. I bet you'll smash your 200 goal before you're done and then be all now what?

Yeah with the heavy singles? That doesn't sound unreasonable, I'm 3 weeks in on the singles already. Not sure about hitting 200 that quick though. The 175s are really easy now, but I noticed 180s really show my weaknesses and form flaws, weird since that is such a tiny wt difference. Kinda frustrating cause my previous max was hit over a yr ago just cause I wanted to max at the time but rarely worked at anything past like 160 for training. I guess I don't want to rush it and fuk something up, lifting is truly the most fun part of my day.

And it is weird that the last few months have been the first time EVER that I've been able to use all my energy/strength on lifting instead of at work 12hrs a day and then struggling to fit in any kind of lifting after work. CLIFFS: Have a business, spent many yrs doing much of the physical labor myself, recently was able to afford enough people to put in those positions so I can stick to the management side of it. So yeah I'm now able to go full on at the gym for the first time and I'm sometimes unsure how to do that.

BM training was the fastest my lifts have gone up since I left the newbie stage. A large part of it is skill development vs. building strength, but I'm pretty sure I built strength too. I just used backoff sets to autoregulate the volume.

BM training?

/Hammie's life story lulz