Bench Press Technique

In a search to improve my Bench Press technique, I spent the last month benching 2x per session 3x a week. This allowed me to drill technique with high volume. That's 24 Bench Press sessions versus 8, if you were to bench just 2x a week. I had been working Decline bench prior to focusing on Flat, and through that I learned to better engage my chest. It was driving me mad that leg drive is absent though. I've grown comfortable with Flat now, and it's my preference.

I use leg drive although I stay on my toes instead of planting my heals. I have long legs, and that may have something to do with it. I recently switched to a more narrow grip, and found it much less prone to injury. This also involved tucking my elbows on each rep. Since then it's become less of a conscious-based thought and more of technique.

I also learned about pinning your upper back, and having all of the weight there. Just today, I found an even better way of staying pinned. First is a tight setup. I saw Dave Tate using this method of grabbing the center of the bar with your thumbs, and raising your sternum towards the bar, adducting your shoulders, then pushing yourself back down. This keeps you very tight and in the right position for good leverage.

The last addition to the technique is to utilize the long head of your Triceps. Seen below as no.1.

I noticed that contracting the long head of the Triceps during lockout makes you prefer a wider grip, and I had been noticing that in videos I've been watching of heavy Bench Presses. Also, locking out the long head makes your wrists turn inwardly, which will hit the Pecs and Triceps better. Each rep should be driven up with leg drive. Let the bar glide down smoothly each rep, and harness its energy for an explosive contraction as you throw the weight up into lockout.

Front Squats

Front Squats are a great lift. It took me a long time to add it to my arsenal, but I see the immense value in it. For comparison, in a Barbell Back Squat, the weight is on the posterior chain (Hamstrings and Glutes), whereas a Front Squat places more of the weight on the Quads, which means there's less stress on the knee in Back Squats.

I have found the clean grip hard to employ, and so I currently use the cross grip. It looks awkward, but feels very secure after drilling the move a few times. You cross your hands near your neck, and grab the bar. It makes you look like Dracula a bit or someone trying to strangle themselves. The foot width placement is more narrow than Back Squats. It is shoulder length with straighter toes. It's much easier to hit depth than in Back Squat. The bar rests atop your Anterior Delts. This will probably be uncomfortable the first dozen or so times, but you'll get used to it. I was told to wear a shirt with sleeves, but I only workout with no sleeves, and although the bar marked me up a few times, I adjusted and became accustomed to it.

I also feel more hip flexion in the Front Squat. At the top of each rep, I contract my Quads. You get quite a bit of energy from the stretch reflex when you dip into the hole, which serves as power to drive yourself up. I've come to better my technique in timing that stretch reflex by doing reps of heavy weight in Back Squats.

The most important exercises are the Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press, and I'm coming to realize that some of their variations are spectacular and are worth using. Front Squats, Hack Squats, Sumo Deadlifts, and the most recent inclusion I plan to have is the Dumbbell Bench Press. I have dumped my old routine, and created a new one titled Leg Snatcher, DB Powered.

The focus of this routine is on hitting my legs 3x a week, having one day of extra recovery compared to my 6-day Swole routine, introducing DB Bench Press while preserving BB Bench Press, having 5 days of Bench Pressing. Only having two upper body days a week help me focus on the leg workouts. When I began working my legs in my lifting career, I had 3x upper body days scheduled and only 2x lower body. I knew this was a problem, but I thought it was absurd to workout 6 days a week to evenly workout the upper and lower body.

With December's Return of the Swole routine, I my muscles hard and frequently. Everything looks good. My upper body is only lagging in my Pecs and Triceps, and so I have an onslaught on Bench Pressing planned via DBs and barbell. I removed the Trap-Bar Deadlift from the routine because I felt it very strange to have the weight centered like that. It's very unnatural compared to the other barbell exercises. I would rather get strong in barbell exercises because I feel they carry over more, and are more common than Trap-Bars, wherever the future may take me.

Auxiliary exercises have taken a backseat position in my mind right now. I feel I've been overworking them, and that I'm due for a break, and that they honestly don't matter as much as I've been treating them. In adding the DB Bench Press, I've taken out 2 sets of the Barbell Bench Press, so I'm really looking forward to experiencing the minimalistic routine that I created.

I've acquired a set of gymnastic rings, and have used them once now, but I'll wait until I have more experience with them before I comment on them.

Swole Routine Wk3 Wrap-Up

It was a tough week. There was rain, low temperatures, and it was the week before Christmas. I finished the week out strong on Friday. As I posed in the men's locker room in the mirror, someone exclaimed, "Perfect shape." This really said it all, and sealed the deal for a great finish to a hard week. The past two days I've been recovering, and I see a swole rising within myself. Arm thickness and chest mass have increased. I am also getting some definition in my legs. The Adductor muscles are beginning to show muscle isolation, and seem to correspond with how I contract my Quads and where I point my knees.

Injury-wise, my left elbow is feeling some tendinitis close to the elbow itself. I'm not too worried. My right hand has nerve pain on the bottom of it, which is irritating, yet doesn't prevent me from any exercises. My knees feel a little questionable, and deterred me from running this weekend. In the mail, I have coming Voodoo Flossing, which is rubber like that of a bicycle tire, and when you wound it near a joint such as the elbow, the compression causes the inflammation to disperse. It's hard to apply a similar compression. Many materials may not be comfortable to wrap around a joint, and simply using weight on that area may not be enough. Some places are hard to apply weight such as the Hamstrings.

I plan to use the compression wrapping on both sides of my elbows and knees, my ankles, and my wrists. I know it'll work, and that I'll have mobility immediately. I'll report back. I have also have some gymnastics rings (EFX) coming. I plan to use it for Dips, Push-Ups, Push-Up Flys, Pull-Ups, Muscle-Ups, Levers, L-Sits, and the Iron Cross. I'm a bit worried about how to set it up, and if I'll even have enough room. I don't believe I will for Pull-Ups or Muscle-Ups. These are rather expensive, so I want to get proper use. I may schedule a certain time to use it on a public park for more freedom.

The fitness/muscle-building/strength-building news outlets are desolate during these holiday times. I have my next week of workouts planned, and Wk4D1 starts tomorrow. I'll be working out a different gym, and hopefully it'll be accessible. I've very happy with the exercises in my routine. I'm thinking of adding Romanian Deadlifts, and dropping Good Mornings. I've been favoring Sumo Deadlifts in my head, and I'll be dropping Trap-Bar Deadlifts in exchange for having them every leg day.

I was quite sold on the Trap-Bar Deadlift at first, but it's shortcomings stared me in the eyes enough times. First is the awkwardness of loading the plates versus a standard barbell. Second, is that there's not enough room for weight on the Trap-Bar, making it ineffective past 405lb+, and even putting that fourth plate on is not easy. Third, there are both high and low handles, but only the high handles seem viable, and it forces you into a shorter range of motion before the pull is initiated. I disliked this, and attempted to remedy it by performing Deficit Trap-Bar Deadlifts, and I stood on a 45lb plate, which narrowed my stance more than I wanted. I tried standing atop two of those plates, and hit all my lifts, but decided it wasn't very practical or comfortable. Lastly, my last jab at the Trap-Bar, is that when you Deadlift, and stand up for hip extension, the bar isn't there to stop your back from hyper-extending, and it's an eerie feeling, which I overcame, and it was never really a problem, but I like the more secure feeling of having the bar there, and that's either in front or behind you like a Hack Squat.

I may still do low weight with the Trap-Bar, but one things I keep in my whilst choosing my exercises is that I want them to be replaceable. For example, if I get good with the Hammer Strength machine for Bench Press, and ignore the Barbell version, I may switch to a gym without that machine, and will have to start from scratch with Barbell technique. This is also why I enjoy bodyweight exercises, and why I took the time to learn the Muscle-Up, so that I could take it with me anywhere I go. I also think the Trap-Bar is a valuable tool as you can use it to Deadlift meanwhile taking your lower back out of the equation more so than a conventional Deadlift.

Swole Routine WK3 D4 Update

This week has been though with the transition of the weather. It's been raining and the temperatures are 50 F and below in the mornings with harsh wind at night. I live in Southern California, so we expect tolerable weather every day of the year, but Winter still exists - the Earth is still tilted.

Training has been going well. My joints feel better than the previous two weeks. I'm very grateful I turned down the volume. It made a lot of sense, and I don't mind having overtrained a bit at first. Being able to dial back gives you confidence. My Bench Press has finally improved. It's taken me longer to get Bench technique down compared to The Squat and The Deadlift. The Bench Press is so deceivingly simple looking. It's the go-to exercise for the average male, and yet technique is very complicated. I think I had trouble because of my Chest and Triceps were both underdeveloped and not strong enough. I have done thousands upon thousands Push-Ups, and thought it would carry over to The Bench Press, but it wasn't the case. In fact, I was lucky to have not seen more severe injuries from the volume of Push-Ups I was performing.

I used an apparatus for the majority of my Push-Ups, which were basically parallel bars. This probably saved me from a lot of joint pain, because it forces you to tuck your elbows a bit. I had wondered why normal Push-Ups on your palms was so much harder for me back then (it's not the case now), and it was because I wasn't tucking my elbows, and I wasn't relying on leverage enough.

Leverage is something I've recently added to my Bench. Training Handstands and Planks were beneficial for understanding leverage. When leverage is applied, the weight sits less on your muscles and more on your bones. This allows you to lift even more weight, and to hold isolations for a longer duration. I also believe that slowing my tempo on the Bench Press has increased my leverage, enhanced my technique, and has activated more of my Pecs' muscle fibers.

Swole Routine Log Update WK3D2

Each week I've tapered the volume down - more so on the transition from Week 2 to Week 3. I took all of my sets of 5s and made them 3s. I eliminated some singles, and reduced some triples to doubles. Having finished the second day, I can say that my joints are much more at ease than at the start of this routine. The Bench Press volume was obviously too much. I knew I was throwing myself in the fire. Sometimes it's OK to be burned for a while in that furnace. You come out all charred, but there's something new about yourself.

Towards the end of Week 2, I began feeling my hips much more. They require constant stretching and opening on each side. I've noticed that my Quads and Adductors are beginning to form a nice separation. I attribute the growth to frequency, lack of isolations, and training singles and doubles. I think doing Sumo Deadlifts helped wake up my hip muscles, and then adding the Trap-Bar Deadlift, I had a new Squat, which also affects the hips. I'm very glad I started doing Front Squats. I didn't find them comfortable, and I refused to train it. I have trouble with the clean grip, so I stick to cross grip. I'm still doing light weight (<135lb), but I can feel my quads really well in them, I have good depth, and mobility-wise, it feels great.

Hip Thrusts are still a very new exercise for me, but I'm noticing the benefits immediately. I do bridges some times while foam rolling, but had trouble holding the isolation, and this has really improved that. My Glutes are noticeably stronger in Deadlifts, and I feel a lot of mobility in each leg in thanks to the Glutes. My Calves are gaining mass and my ankles are looking cut. I'm in a very good place in my lifting right now. It's largely in part thank to listening to my body. I'm taking each week very seriously, and I'm proud to be on my way to finishing a third week of a 6-days-in-a-row routine.

bb progress

   

Weighted Pull-Ups, Weighted Dips, and Muscle-Ups

Two oddly underutilized exercises are Weighted Pull-Ups and Weighted Dips. Why are they underutilized? For one, there are both machines which replicate these movements (Lat Pulldown and sitting Triceps Push Down), and machines which assist in actual Pull-ups and Dips. I don't advise using them, or most machines. The machines offer a single plane of movement which couldn't be more unnatural for human motion. It is true that the fastest way from Point A to Point B is a straight line, and that resistance is most easily overcome by staying the path a straight line, but machines are not built for your body's specifications.

It's interesting how people good at Lat Pulldowns can't necessarily do Pull-Ups, and vice-versa. They are said to be two different movements, and that perhaps some people's bodies are more apt to take advantage of the Lat Pulldown. I've never trained it.  Pull-Ups require Lat control. People try pulling themselves up with just their Biceps, and you're not going to curl your own bodyweight that easily. There are many different grips to employ on Pull-Ups. It's often said wide-grip is the best for Lats and isolates the Lats the most. I've never trained Wide-Grip as I prefer the strongest Pull-Up position for leverage, and that is the Chin-Up, which is a supine (palms up) grip. This grip is easier on your elbow joints, involves more of the Biceps and Chest. The Lats seem more secure when using an underhand grip.

The bottom position of a Pull-Up allows you to stretch your Lats, which helps in storing energy for a rebound into the concentric portion of the exercise. Joint problems can hit you though if you deadhang incorrectly, and there's nothing wrong with keeping a slight bend to avoid injury. The top position can vary quite a bit. You can pull to your sternum, eye level, chin level, or the top of your head. I recommend keeping your shoulders down, and tilting your torso back slightly. I believe tension leaves the Lats when your shoulders raise, as a hard Lat contraction involves having your elbows at your sides.

I have seen people claiming you shoulder flare your elbows to stress the Lats and to cut out the Biceps involvement, but I don't find that necessary for Lat development and strength. In fact, the best Lat workout I can get is by Deadlifting heavy (385lb+) for 8 reps and 2 sets.

I see people use the Assisted Pull-Up Machines and they're bodies are loose, and they stand vertically on a platform, using no intensity. This is comparable to watching people lay on a bench to Bench Press, but they don't keep their body tight at all. If you don't have a tight body during an exercise, you'll never be able to handle heavy weight in it. This is why I recommend Negatives on Pull-Ups rather than any other exercise or machines. Negatives are simply the eccentric portion of a lift. So for Pull-Ups, you would either jump, or step-up so you can grab the bar at the top position, and slowly lower yourself down while squeezing and feeling your lats.

Most people cannot perform Pull-Ups, and I'm highly convinced it's because they don't understand how to use their Lats. After conquering Pull-Ups, you may get so high in volume that your joints are in jeopardy, and your strength cannot improve, nor can you continue to develop the muscles used in them. This is where Weighted Pull-Ups should be subbed in. Good technique on Pull-Ups will allow you to pull with a large spectrum of poundage. I do not recommend holding a dumbbell between your knees or to wear a backpack. There is device which works perfect for leverage, safety, and loading weight, and that is a Dip Belt.

You can look normal weight plates through the belt, and can increment in 2.5lb if you wish. I recommend just choosing a rep range, and increasing the weight by 5lb each session (1-3 times a week). When I was still performing bodyweight Pull-Ups, I had mastered them so well that they weren't a challenge at all, and I pulled myself upwards so explosively that I could tell I had more energy than required - more strength and explosiveness required for pull-ups. There is an exercise which is a more advanced variation of a Pull-Up and that is the Muscle-Up.

Lastly for Pull-Ups, I take longer rests between sets than any other exercise. During the sets, my breathing is very important for completing the rep range I'm attempting. When I breathe in, my muscles get a surge of energy as well as when I breathe out, which I do through the gut with a grunt. With a tight underhand grip, pull your body towards the insides of your wrists (below your pinkies). This will help adduct (move inwards) your shoulder blades, which puts the Lats in a strong position.

Dips are an incredible exercise. Like Push-Ups and Pull-Ups, your form can really vary. When I cut Dips from my routine, my inner Chest loses definition, and isn't as ripped in general. I feel they're very good for your wrists as well. If you're not strong in that position with your wrists, you should aim to be strong there. It's vital for L-Sits, and general gymnastic moves, which can lead up to a Handstand Push-Up or Planche.

When I first began Dips, I loved the stretch my Delts and Chest felt so much that I dipped myself too low, and although it didn't hurt at the time, after a few weeks, I couldn't do Dips at all. Having researched after I hurt myself, I saw people suggesting that you don't go below parallel, which is a common theme in many movements. So I aim for parallel, but probably dip a bit below it, but nothing severe as I used to.

Only recently haven't I thought myself to stress the point of never flaring my elbows. It's a weak position for the elbows and shoulders. You usually aim to line your joints and bones up for leverage sake. I recommend starting at the top of the Dip movement to avoid starting with a concentric movement. When you start with the eccentric like in Squats, you store energy to rebound out of into the concentric. It's important to remember that the eccentric portion of any exercise is what builds muscle and is our bigger strength, whereas we are weaker in the concentric.

Torso lean can dictate how much you use your Chest and Triceps. A forward lean will hit your Chest, whereas a more vertical torso will hit your Triceps. What's funny is that I like the Chest version, but as the weight goes up in Weighted Dips, it prevents me from leaning forward, as to do so would require me to do a Planche basically with a lot of extra weight.

Weighted Dips feel very good on my shoulders and elbows. Throughout my workouts, I lean heavily on various objects, and push all of my weight onto my straightened limbs, and this makes me feel stronger, and helps me build energy. Something I notice about most people's Dip form is that they don't go very high in the top position. It's said that you can still build muscle with partial range of motion, but you should really use full range of motion most of the time in your training. Some people opt to avoid locking out the joints of the limbs in order to keep tension on the muscle, and to avoid joint injuries.

I lockout in most exercises (not Pull-Ups). In Dips, even more so than locking out, I raise my knees, and crunch powerfully with my abs with every part of my body tense and taut. I'm able to match the weight I Pull-Up and Dip, and so for convenience, I superset Weighted Pull-Ups with Weighted Dips on the days I do Pull-Ups. I don't often superset, but these two exercises work very well together. You're either pulling down hard or pushing down hard. The genius of combining these two lifts also include the doorway to legendary Muscle-Up.

A Muscle-Up is a Pull-Up followed by a Dip. It's rather a mindfuck to think how you can pull yourself over the bar. The trick is that your wrists need to spin from being horizontally attached to the bar to vertically atop the bar. This also means that to get atop the bar, you must have somewhat of an arc. I don't recommend cheating in most exercises (not having proper form), but for Muscle-Ups, I think it's required to start off with a kip (swing) to learn them.

In order for your wrists to swing from horizontal to atop the bar, place your thumb on the same side of the bar as the rest of your fingers. This is called a false grip. You can also flex your wrist a bit. Approach the bar, grip it, swing forward just a little, and when your body swings back, wait for the moment in which you are the highest, then pull like a Pull-Up, and strive to land your Chest atop the bar, but as your Chest approached the bar, do a Dip to extend your arms, and place yourself atop the bar, which I then follow with a slight knee raise crunch with straight legs with my feet are crossed and my hips open. I keep my legs rigid and together throughout the movement. You don't want to flail about. I feel the upper body can control the lower body more easily when your legs are more like one unit. To get down, lean back, and allow your wrists to spin downwards. You will be reversing the arc movement, and so you'll have a bit of a forward swing when you're back below the bar, and this is perfect for starting the next rep. Just wait for yourself to swing back to the highest spot like in a swing set where you pump your legs at the right moment.

The Ab activation I feel from a Muscle-Up is greater than any other Ab exercise I've tried. I believe it's because, you're launching your body through space and landing atop a bar in a crunch. You also have the option, while you're atop the bar during the Muscle-Up to do as many Dips as you choose while you're in the prone grip, which is different than the normal parallel grip for Dips. Be sure to tuck your elbows.

Recovery and Mobility

Recovery aids are vital to consistent progress and minimized downtime due to injury or too much stress on the body. The first object I used is an exercise ball, in which I'd lay on it facing upwards, and would do a bridge basically with the ball underneath, and it stretched my spine in a way that I couldn't ordinarily. A little further down the road, I researched more 'mobility' aids, and found four items that I came to purchase: The Stick (the least useful), Theracane, Stretch-Out Straps, and a Foam Roller.

The Theracane is shaped like a large candy cane, and it has a few knobs in which you use to hit pressure points. It is foremost a back recovery aid - useful for the Traps, Lats, Pecs, Triceps, Delts, and Glutes. The Stretch-Out Straps are the least innovative. It's simply a seven-foot long piece of material with loops for your wrists and ankles. I bring it to the gym every day to use between and before sets when my body is feeling a little tight. I mostly use it for Shoulders, Lats, and Pecs.

Lastly, the Foam Roller is without a doubt my favorite, and the most useful. I roll all of the larger known muscles twice a day. This eliminates DOMs, grants mobility, and gets you in gym faster and better feeling than you would without rolling. Some people use PVC pipes to foam roll. Others say that they can't roll certain spots like the Lower Back. I haven't found any part of body that can't be rolled. That said, I have found too much Foam Rolling to be a drawback. I typically only roll a muscle one to three times, and that's all that's needed to keep it mobile.

A product I recently came across, which I have not purchased yet is called Voodoo Flossing. It is a seven-foot strip of latex rubber that you wrap around any joint in which inflammation is occurring. My elbows are in dire need of compression due to the volume of benching I perform. I'd also love to use it on both knees, ankles, and forearms.

Similar to the mobility tools, a hard surface to lay on is essential. Laughably, your average person tries to attain the most expensive, softest, most comfortable bed you can find, whereas I've found a hard surface is far more beneficial. In fact, I sleep a floor. Too often my back or neck wouldn't feel right after waking from sleeping on a soft surface. You'll also find that when laying on a hard surface, certain positions aren't possible because it hurts too much. Think of laying in those positions on a soft bed, where you don't even realize it's hurting you until the next morning.

An extra benefit to sleeping on a hard surface is that it's not tolerable for 9-12 hours, and neither should you sleep that long. I like to rise at 0500-0600, and I do so without the aid of one of the most stressful things in the world - an alarm clock.

The Evolution of My Weight Lifting

I began in April 2010. I hesitated to take a strength route. I was interested in pursuing muscle size, and didn't know enough at the time. I spent 5 months mastering push-ups. I performed no other exercises. I became great at push-ups, gained about 15-20lb pounds (I had been underweight), and had increased the size of my Pecs, Front Delts, Abs, and Back (to a degree). I felt very accomplished. I was able to perform 150 push-ups in one set, and 750 total in one workout.

When I realized my forearms weren't the size they had been in the past, I knew immediately the answer was pull-ups, and so I began them, and my forearms grew. I added in dips, but frequently hurt my shoulders in them, but this is no longer the case. I also added some dumbbell work, but mostly curls and shrugs.

It took me far too long to begin barbell work. And when I did, I only performed a single set on every exercise. I also opted for having about two dozen different exercises in one workout. As I read more, I discovered hilarious things, such as the evolution of weight lifting, and that it was found through studies long ago that single sets were inferior to multiple sets for hypertrophy and strength. Boy, was I shocked.

I began doing 2 sets of 8 on most exercises, and more sets later on. It took me a very long time to acquire my Squat, Deadlift, and Bench Press technique. I remember coming to the conclusion so many times that I actually didn't have the correct technique, even for basic moves. Though I don't know if I can say there is a correct technique for anything. There's good technique and bad technique as far as safety, individual body mechanics, lifting goals - strength, size, power, and endurance.

As my lifts stalled, I simply deloaded and worked my way back up, and didn't think much of it. This happened many times. It took me some time to realize a new method I'd begin using on all my lifts. That method is performing multiple sets at different rep ranges. I had noticed that when staying in a single rep range, you become strong there, and when you try to work outside of your rep range, you are weak.

To be strong in a variety of rep ranges was and is a grand idea to me. I initially programmed this into only my Barbell Back Squat. I had felt that Squats weren't returning the investment I was putting into them. My legs weren't taking off nor my strength fast enough. Strength programs often prioritize squats, and so many strength trainees have incredible high Squat numbers compared to their other lifts, and it has become the norm, and the expected.

Additionally, although my training at the start of my lifting career was not optimal, I highly enjoyed it, and looked forward to every lifting session. Each rep of each exercise was meticulously precise with the knowledge I had at the time to employ full range of motion and joint safety.

Hip Thrusts, Deficits, and Tigers! Oh, My!

I'm on Week 2 Day 3 of the new Swole Routine. Progress is evident visually and physically. My targeted muscles are Pecs, Triceps, and Quads. They're all coming along. I noticed my Biceps are getting even more cut close to the shoulder, and this is after having dropped curls. I'm a big proponent of compound exercises over isolation.

Having peered over the EMG statistics at T-Nation, I was left a bit puzzled - perhaps more puzzled than before having seen the results. For those unaware, EMG tests track a few muscles, and tell you the peak and mean percentage of activation. These tests are not the end-all and be-all, but I still find value in them. Discrepancies occur via technique and individual body mechanics. For the Glutes EMG test, Barbell Hip Thrusts ranked number 1. I was in disbelief at first, and thought to myself, I'm not going to do Hip Thrusts, surely there's something better, but from what I've learned, it is the best.

Squats and Deadlifts hit the Glutes, but they don't take the brunt of the weight, and you won't necessarily fire your Glutes correctly. To tighten your Glutes, you extend your hips, and to get the full contraction, you hyperextend your hips. You may hurt your lower back by hyperextending your hips, so be cautious. The truth is that anything in the weightroom can hurt you if you are not aware enough of your body and surroundings.

I added in Hip Thrusts on Sunday. My first complaint was that they're too hard to set up. You need to sit on the ground with your upper back leaned against a bench, and you need to have the bar on your hips. To make things a bit worse, if you use 135lb it's easy to slide your body under the bar, but with 95lb, you can't get as much of your body underneath, and forget about it with 90lb or lower. I've been manhandling the weight thus far, but will splurge on the secrets if I find a better way.

To have the correct height for the bench behind yourself, you can stack 45lb plates and sit atop them. I felt the first effect of the Hip Thrusts 48 hours after the first time I tried them. I had done three sets of eight at 95lb. This morning, while Sumo Deadlifting specifically  my Glutes fired like never before. As Brett Contreras said, Hip Thrusts will improve your Deadlift lockout. There's so much power and strength to be utilized from the Glutes, and Hip Thrusts are the key to unlock sweet victory and great glory.

As far as the Trap-Bar Deficit Deadlifts, I've increased the distance by stacking two 45lb plates opposed to one. I believe I felt it more in the Low Back, which makes logical sense to me. The Stiff-Leg Deadlift variation uses the most Low Back, and it is because you're reaching so far down whilst keeping your back proper. Many people avoid positions and exercises that hit the Lower Back, but I feel it's important to develop your Lower Back, which is basically just the Spine Erectors below the Thoracic region - the Lumbar region.

Initially when I began lifting, I didn't perform any variations of Deadlifts, and I held onto my conventional Deadlift as if it were sacred. I worked in the 8 rep range, and I noticed that it took significant recovery to come back from Deadlifts. I found myself forced to drop my Deadlifting to only once a week, and as the weight got heavier as did my recovery. I worked my way to two sets of eight with 385lb. Yes, this will destroy your lower back (and by that I mean it's 100% healthy, but will take 4-5 days of recovery). I always told myself, if I just dropped the Deadlift altogether, I could workout more frequently, and in fact, I'd probably be larger and stronger had I not done Deadlifts. Of course, this is balanced with the idea that the Deadlift is the second greatest exercise there is (Squats are King). The Deadlift uses a ton of musculature, and it is probably the most 'functional' exercise.

For me the Deadlift is special because it forces your back musculature into proper posture. I hadn't thought of it back then, but I've thought of it now, and that is to remove the conventional Deadlift, and to replace it with a variation less taxing on the Lower Back. The three Deadlift variations I use are the Sumo Deadlift, the Trap-Bar Deadlift, and the Hack Squat. I still utilize the 8 rep range, but I also use the five, triple, and single rep range. I like to lift heavy weight, and often. This is possible by doing moderate weight in the 8 rep range, moderate to heavy weight in the 5 or triple rep range, and about 90% of my one-rep max for singles. This morning for example, I lifted 415lb in the Trap Bar Deadlift, and my back is fine. I could run through a wall right now, I have such an air of stability and power.

Some Leg Updates

I'm still new to the Trap-Bar Deadlift, but I definitely noticed that you don't need to bend your knees as much to pull it off the ground. There are two sets of handles, one set high and one low, but it's less obstructed to use the high handles. To counter this, you can do deficit Trap-Bar Deadlifts. That is to say you stand atop any sort of platform so that you must reach lower to pick up the weight. This can easily be remedied through stacking two 45lb plates, and standing atop them.

Having to drop lower to pick up the weight allows the Quads a better stretch and therefore a longer ROM. Doubly this effect takes place because a 45lb plate requires you to take a closer stance, which also emphasizes the Quads more. I've always bent very low for my Conventional Deadlift, which I've read is not a great idea as it becomes more like a Squat, but my focus on my legs over my back as they have far more catch up to do.

Secondly, I feel my Glutes are strong, and don't require any auxiliary lifts, but I've heard what Brett Contreras has to say on Glutes, and although I had heard it before, it makes more sense to me now. Squats and Deadlifts build your Glutes and Glute strength, but the moves are compounds, and a more isolated Glute exercise is the Barbell Hip Thrust.

I had at one point attempted training Barbell Glute Bridges, and partly it felt like a good exercise, but the setup is a nightmare, and I found it to be painful on the upper thighs and hips. I wasn't using a barbell pad at the time as I felt it would be cowardly. Since then I've learned that Barbell Hip Thrusts are more effective than Barbell Glute Bridges, and that the barbell pad is necessary - the thicker the better. The Hip Thrusts are just as hard if not harder to set up because you need to lean your upper back and elbows atop a bench or elevated surface, but it needs to be the correct height.

If the bench is too high, then you won't be able to dip very low in the eccentric. I tried the exercise in three different locations in the gym, and found the best to be the lowest bench I could find (near the dumbbell rack), and I stacked two 45lb plates to sit atop in order to have the correct height. It was my first time with Hip Thrusts, and I did 8 reps of 95lb for 3 sets. I didn't find it difficult, but I found my ROM a bit more limited than I wanted with the weight, and that drove up my mental intensity so that each rep would hit the over-extension which is the point at which the Glutes activate the strongest.

As far as an update on my Swole routine. I'm really happy with all the lifts I'm doing, and the weight, reps, and sets. Everything lines up so well, and make so much sense for what I need. I don't have much isolation work, which I like. My Triceps growth has improved the look of my arms, and has made my Biceps look even more isolated and cut.

I think the one main problem I have is Chest and Bench Press technique. My Bench Press technique feels very inconsistent. I'm still having trouble unracking. For leg position, I've settled for on my toes because on my heels caused lower back pain. I plan on watching more technique videos and reading more articles. I'll divulge any crucial form-changing information I come across.

Swole Routine WK 2

I plan to start the second week of my new routine tomorrow possibly. It's odd in that I'm used to taking recovery days from a sore upper back or sore lower back, but my rest days during this routine are used to recovery my joints. I've purposely not scheduled the conventional Deadlift as to have gas in the tank, and a fresher body.

I completed the first week of 6 training days in a row, and it was tough for my body to adapt to it. I knew the volume was like a mountain, but I got threw it, and was forced to do lots of mobility work and stretching, especially towards the end of the week. I did 48 bench press sets in total. I didn't care for the elbow joint pain, and constant need for massage. I felt some subtle knee joint pain.

Opposed to continue running my routine as planned, I've modified it with my analysis of the first week. I wanted to avoid subtracting volume because I like to progress linearly in weight and sets, but in order to keep myself farther away from overtraining, I've removed one set out of many exercises. I do no more than 2 sets of 8 on each exercise, and I changed a few sets of 5 to triples. I removed some high weight singles on Bench Press. I'm happy with all of the revisions, and expect week 2 to be very strong. Not only will I have more intensity from the drop in volume, but I'll be more adapted to this workload.

I found it a little hard to eat during the 6 days of consecutive training. My body knew that if I were to eat too much it would hinder my performance. I also decided to take more than one rest day at least after the first week. So I'm not abiding by the calendar days of the week.

Goblincore Diet

Food is fuel. You are what you eat. So why do you eat bullshit then? You come at anyone with a hard question, and they recoil, and they search to grasp on to something to avoid appearing as such a clueless uninformed fuck. Well, here's a chance to discuss a diet that has kept me lean and mean.

I will first say that processed food should be avoided as well as fast food and all restaurants. If you let someone else cook your food, you're a fool. Why would this be? You don't know the exact ingredients, the expiration date of the ingredients, the quality of the ingredients, the state of cleanliness around the cooking, the temperature and duration the food was cooked,or whether the chef washed their hands.

We live in a world where people force their children to eat cereal every morning - a bunch of carbs floating in a river of milk. To eat poor quality food is to say that 'you don't matter'.

The foods I recommend are the following:

lean turkey (I buy ground)
eggs (with yolk)
coconut oil (I use with everything I cook)
chicken (grilled)
cheese
greek yogurt
cottage cheese
bananas
apples
oranges

Lastly, I'll mention Chocolate Chip Oat Muffins. I make two batches a week (12 per batch). Here is the recipe:

• eggs, 4
• butter, unsalted, 1.25 sticks
• milk, 3/4th cup (lactose-free)
• sugar, 1/2 cup

• oats, 2 cups
• flour, wheat, 2 cups
• chocolate chips, 1/4th cup
• cinnamon, 1 tbsp
• nutmeg, 1 tbsp
• salt, 1/2 tsp
• cocoa powder, 1/4th cup
• baking powder, 1 tbsp
• baking soda, 1/2 tsp

Assemble wet and dry ingredients separately then combine, and use a muffin pan caked in coconut oil. Bake for 20 minutes @375° F. Wait 10 minutes for it to cool. Eat three and refrigerate the rest. I recommend 1-2 per serving. They are delicious with coffee. They are very dense and nutritious.

Update 121204

There's only two more days left of my new routine for the first week. I feel I underestimated the weight I chose, hence recovery being hard. I have noticed my Quads improving. It was a long process, but I believe the Squats were a sure bet, though they took much longer than I expected to develop my legs. I attribute the newly added Trap-Bar Deadlifts for the recent growth.

I have also found my Triceps developing further. They are fuller and gaining mass. My chest is also on its way to greatness. So everything is going according to plan. The high volume Bench Press work has really put the drive me to want to pull some weight in a Deadlift.

I recently changed from traditional Shrugs to Power Shrugs. Each rep is performed starting on the bars. You can explosively pull upwards like a High Pull. My Traps have noticeably became more dense as a result. My back feels very good. Last night while leaning against a wall with my upper back with a rather large arc of my lower back, and I was sweeping my spine erectors side-to-side. It was such a well-formed mind-muscle connection. It was like moving my fingers it felt so natural, and inside my back as if a giant feather was tickling me, but the feather was wet and very soft.

Muscles I'm not currently focused on are Biceps, Abs, Hamstrings, Lats, Mid-Back, Lower Back, Spine Erectors, or Forearms. None of those are a weak point for me. I'll come back to them in future routines. Having a balanced body is dire for health and lifting. A chest is nothing without a back. Biceps don't mean as much without Triceps. The shoulders need all of the heads worked in order to protect your shoulder girdle and rotator cuff. Low Back and Abs are necessary for a strong core. Hammies without Quads isn't going to net me a huge Squat. I heard recently that an imbalanced muscle system leads to an imbalanced skeletal system. That sounds plausible, and scary.

Swole Routine Update

I'm on day 3 of 6 of week 1. I've noticed that psychologically I tend (or humans possibly) to grant events with too much respect and exaggeration. Just as with winter in Southern California, it becomes winter, and you have trouble recalling when it was ever so cold. Our memories after all are simply constructs, and so, should not be held too closely. I am referring to the pain I'm feeling this week from switching to high frequency and high volume.

My hands feel like I've been crawling on glass the past few days. The pain is deep as well like I've been trying to sand down a tree with my hands alone. My Triceps are big knots. The smaller muscles near my elbow are inflamed and ache severely. My arms look sinewy. No longer are they blocky and healthy looking. Instead, it looks like I lost a few pints of blood. My Lats are tight as a drum.

I've had mixed thoughts on the results I've seen thus far. I love to train, but to train 6 days a week is to guard your body more so than having more recovery days. I can tell my joints are taking a beating, and had I certain exercises scheduled, I'd already be in Snap City. I'll update this with what Father Time does to me.

The Return of The Swole

In weightlifting, you can train as a powerlifter or a bodybuilder, and you can compete as either. I initially started with calisthenics, mastering both the push-up and the pull-up. Unsatisfied with certain muscles' underdevelopment, I added some dumbbell work, for the sake of building those muscles - bodybuilding. I limited myself to the 8-12 rep range for the most part - even on my compound exercises. This lead to poor results in the Squat, poor leg development, and a massive back. This was the bulk of my training.

Through reading and researching more online. Things caught my eye, such as 20 rep squats. I enjoyed them, and applied the 20 rep range to other exercises. I also, in having seen Tom Platz's leg routine as well as others, increased my total volume of squats as fast as I could. This made me better and more comfortable with Squats due to honing my technique through more frequency and volume.

I started lifting very heavy in the 8 rep range, and this caused my recovery time to increase more and more, until I was able to train 2 days a week, and I was pretty demolished after the first day of training. Throughout my lifting career, I've thought it a waste to lift so infrequently (less than 3 times a week). And I still did at the time, and I still do as of now. The more time you spend lifting, the better your technique will be, and the healthier you will be. I didn't like having so many rest days, and I felt my flexibility slipping away.

After much research, I gravitated towards the gem that is Arnold's Encyclopedia of Bodybuilding. I had heard of it before, but was skeptical. The muscle magazines are so laughable to me that I had unfortunately gotten to a point where it was hard for me to objectively discern whether something was valid or not, and I leaned on invalid. In this book though, he has The Bodybuilder's Beginner Routine, and I quite like it.

I'm familiar with Starting Strength and Strong Lifts, and both are known as strength training programs for beginners. I hadn't come across many bodybuilding programs, and was fascinated by the phases in the routine, and how training quickly jumps to 6 days a week with lots of volume. I still did my pet lifts, and didn't follow the routine very closely at all, but it was the base of the new routine I had crafted. A common phrase is that if you don't follow a program 100% then you're not doing the program. I've never followed a program to the T. I am simply too knowledgeable and experienced to blindly follow someone else's routine geared for the masses.

After some time on the bodybuilding routine 6 days a week, my body gave in, and injuries popped up. Overtraining was a cloud over my head. I dropped workout days for the sake of recovery, but continued dropping those days until I was at about 2 days a week again. This is by no means a matter of laziness. My workout days decrease when the weight gets heavier, therefore taxing my body (especially the central nervous system).

It had been about 2.5 years into my training, and I had still yet to do one set of any exercise in the 5 rep range. I had a total paranoia that I was min-maxing, and would only do high rep ranges for the sake of muscle growth - my main goal. What I discovered is that rep ranges are not so black-and-white. I humbled myself and programmed a routine in which every lift utilized the 5 rep range. I also began sprinkling in singles, doubles, and triples (mostly singles). I was previously under the belief that singles were ego lifts, and were always 1 rep maxes. But now I understand that they're crucial in building power, strength, and mental confidence.

Whenever I climb the ladder of poundage on a given exercise, it's scary to lift a weight you have not yet lifted. The first time I Deadlifted 225lb was a scary experience as was 315lb and 405lb. Now that I've done 455lb, I scoff at 405lb, and treat it like it's nothing. This is mental confidence.

I have enjoyed my strength training the last 1.5 months. I used more volume than a typical strength program, but again only trained 2 days a week b/c I was lifting so heavy. I gained a considerable amount of strength in that 1.5 months of strength training. I put 45lb on my Squat PR, an extra 110lb on my Hack Squat PR, 50lb on my Deadlift PR, an extra 160lb on my Sumo Deadlift, and 30lb on my Bench Press.

Although I want to milk my strength training program longer, my body would prefer the bodybuilding style routine again. I never go backwards in my training, and so opposed to following my old bodybuilding routine, I crafted a new one last night. It is a hybrid between bodybuilding, strength training, and power training.

I will ramp up the weight of every exercise by 5lb each session. This is what I have always done.I don't really comprehend the inability to get linear gains. I've deloaded hundreds of times, and I just ramp back up, working on technique.

I'm very happy with where I am in my training. I love the new inclusion of Front Squats, the Trap Bar Deadlift, and Muscle-Ups. I tried Overhead Squats today, and really liked them, so they may become part of my staple too. I feel I'm at my strongest, my smartest, my sharpest, and my conditioning is fantastic.

My main goals right now are to increase my Squat and Bench Press. I am going to try Weighted Muscle-Ups very shortly. I am also on the hunt for a 500lb Deadlift. My legs still have much potential, and are far from where they will be.

Bench Press - 275lb
Squat - 315lb
Deadlift - 455lb
Pull-Ups - 3*135lb
Military Press - 160lb
Hack Squat - 365lb
Shrugs - 5*420lb*2
Lateral Raises - 60lb