So. P90X anyone? (Misery loves company)

[JWIV]

If you just want solid basic functionality -  mytracks is solid

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.maps.mytracks&feature=nav_result#?t=W251bGwsMSwxLDMsImNvbS5nb29nbGUuYW5kcm9pZC5tYXBzLm15dHJhY2tzIl0.

[DraconianOne]

No idea where to put this video so I'll leave it here. It's a short film about the race I did in the summer and really captures the mood, imo. It may or may not be of interest.

[Cyrrex]

215 kg trapbar deadlift today.  I have grunted noisily at the end of a lift before, but with this one it was a full on "rrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhh!" that inadvertently spewed forth from my diaphragm. 

Added another 2.5kg to my best bench a few days ago too, so the creatine fueled gains continue to come.  My body is also craving more calories all of a sudden - it is like your muscles want to catch up to the gains your nervous system is making - so I am eating more and putting on some real weight (as opposed to just water weight).

So everything is fantastic.  Except for my squats, which still fucking suck.  I am running out of ideas.  I think maybe my frame just wasn't made for that movement.  Possibly because of my curved back, I am starting to think.  Or some other mechanical issue.  Don't really know what to do about it, so I am supplementing with some leg presses to see if that will help me bust through a barrier.

Any ideas?

[climbjtree]

Nice improvements, dude.

As far as squats go - keep form in mind, and do supplementary exercises to strengthen the muscles that you use when your form goes to shit. What I mean to say is that as you tilt forward onto your toes, or vary from proper form in any way, you put focus on isolated muscle groups. As I understand it, you tend to rely on your stronger muscles when form breaks down and this is why you need to work those smaller muscle groups with supplementary exercises. It helps you maintain form, and form helps you lift weight.

I'm on a 9 week peaking program and have had some decent results so far. I'm currently in week 4, but in the end I'll add 15 pounds to my bench and 25 pounds to my max deadlift and back squat. Have you looked into something like that?

[Cyrrex]

I haven't, but at this point I am making so many overall gains that I am loathe to change up too much just yet.  That said, I will look into it at some point,  because I'm sure I'll hit a wall soon enough.

As for supplementary exercises, what do you have in mind?  You hit it right on the head with the leaning forward on the toes bit.  What I think happens is that I lean forward, and then my lower back tries to take over and I end up doing that weird good morning movement.  When the weights get heavy, that is...I think my form is pretty good on lighter loads.

[climbjtree]

I think once you start to roll onto the ball of your foot, you're isolating the quads.

Go to YouTube and search for "So You Think You Can Squat." It's three parts, about five minutes each, and talks about form and the way the whole thing works. It is a pretty good lesson - you're basically watching a coach while he coaches someone through it. Really informative. I think the coach actually mentions something about not being able to correct your form without doing supplementary movements, if the culprit of bad form is a weak muscle group. I'd link the videos for you, but YouTube loads like shit in Afghanistan.

On leg day, I do the following exercises: Back squat, front squat (really deep with a light load), leg press, Romanian dead lifts, and calf raises. I feel like I have all my bases covered with those.

[DraconianOne]

Those are pretty good videos. Cheers for that.

[lamaros]

Merry Christmas to you all in this thread. It has provided much information and inspiration.

[Cyrrex]

New Years goal time! 

First, a summary of current goals...

- 400 lb Deadlift:  Passed!  Blew that one away.  When I set that goal for myself a couple years ago (I actually think I set the goal for 380, not sure why), I didn't seriously think I would achieve it.  It seemed like such a stupidly big number.  And it kind of is...I won't set any further DL goals, because it all seems rather crazy once you get past that marker.

- 90 lb (per hand) seated dumbbell shoulder presses:  Failed!  I don't have access to anything over 86 lbs, so this one is officially off the list.  It was rather arbitrary anyway.  I think I only wanted to be able to do it because so few people can do it to begin with.  I stopped doing this exercise anyway, as I didn't seem to be getting anywhere with it.  Have since cleaned and push pressed 225 lbs, which seems a better accomplishment anyway, and definitely a more worthwhile exercise.

- 275 lb bench press:  Okay, this wasn't really a goal until I just failed the attempt two weeks ago (the near Roll of Shame incident).  So I just now put it on my list.  And I achieved it three days ago.  So it is a retroactive goal.  Got a spotter this time, but he didn't have to touch the bar.  Got it up with relative ease.  Funny how things can be so different from one day to the next.

- Physique of a cast member of 300 or Spartacus:  Maybe?  They could cast me as the hornery old Doctore, or that Quasimodo fella.  I am too old, too bald, and considerably less handsome than Gerard Butler.  But I'm not that far off.  This is the official Long Term Goal anyway, so it is a constant work in progress. 

So, new goals...I could talk about a 300 lb bench, because climbjtree can do that and he is sort of my hero.  Maybe that goes on the list.  I need to get my squats up if I can, but I am not sure if these decrepit curved bones are going to let it happen.  330 lbs for reps would be nice, but I don't know.  I am starting to think that my whole training bent is overly focused on strength, and too little on aesthetics.  I am demonstrably stronger than 99% of the people at my gym (family type place, so it isn't like I am competing with Olympians), despite many of them being visibly quite a bit larger than me, including almost all of the scary looking biker dudes with the skull tattoos.  I have very well developed triceps, back and shoulder/delt muscles, but some of my "glory" muscles need work, irrespective of how strong those muscles might actually be.  Pecs, biceps, calves, etc.

So I am thinking of switching over to a pure high rep body building routine very soon to build some real mass and address some of these aesthetic weaknesses.  I don't know.  I am loathe to stop what I am doing, but I doubt I will get much further with it anyway unless I decide to start piling on the extra calories.  And I'm not sure my body responds quite as well to the high rep, lower weight routine.  So, still debating what my next short term goals should be.

What about the rest of you?  If you don't already do it, I find it to be extremely important to have both short and long term goals in mind, and to talk about them with others (like with all you people).  Not only does it help for getting advice, but it forces you to think, study and be accountable for it.

[JWIV]

My goals this year is pretty straightforward. 

Don't get injured and

Tackle first full marathon in October.  I've done 3 halves now, and will have a 4th in April/May, so it's time.

[K9]

That's awesome Cyrrex.

I'm a bit lost as far as goals go. Between illness, injury, and work and sporting commitments my gym attendance over the past couple of months has been a bit erratic. I haven't really lost much, but I'm not progressing either. I'm tempted to stick with more of a bodyweight program since that seems more manageable in my current schedule.

[Nebu]

You guys are amazing.  I need to step up my game if I'm going to be a contributor here.  

All I can say is that I've completely transformed my body to get ready for the sprint triathalon season.  I'm getting to the point in life where I may be able to compete at a high level in my age bracket.  If I can get my run times down without affecting my cycling, then I may be able to place.  I just wish I still lived at altitude.  It would help with my aerobic capacity.  

Keep up the posts guys.  You're great motivation for this old man!

[Merusk]

Bleh.. projects blew-up at work from October through the Holidays meaning I simply didn't have the time or energy to go in.  Which also means I put on 15 goddamn pounds. 

My goal is to lose that over the next 3 months.  Long term for the year is simply to get down to 200#.  I don't do marathons or triathlons or any of that because running really kills my left knee. (Hooray improper Breaststroke form)  I don't have any lift goals because I don't want a lot of bulk. 

So yeah.. weight loss is my goal.

[Salamok]

Bleh.. projects blew-up at work from October through the Holidays meaning I simply didn't have the time or energy to go in.  Which also means I put on 15 goddamn pounds. 

My goal is to lose that over the next 3 months.  Long term for the year is simply to get down to 200#.  I don't do marathons or triathlons or any of that because running really kills my left knee. (Hooray improper Breaststroke form)  I don't have any lift goals because I don't want a lot of bulk. 

So yeah.. weight loss is my goal.

Other than things blowing up this is my story and game plan for the year.  I was pretty faithful about working out from May (230lbs) through the end of October (210lbs) but then the holidays hit and there wasn't much time for any of that and a whole lot of food hanging around (220lbs).

I think I'll wait until mid January before I resume my workouts, hopefully some of the new years resolution crazies will be gone by then.  Maybe my winter fat will assist with another growth spurt in the muscles as I didn't lose a ton of muscle mass during the 2 months off.

[Merusk]

My experience the last 2 years was they disappeared after the first week and a half, but I also go in to the gym at 5am.  The parking lot remained full after work through at least February.  I suspect that was because it takes that long to go through the smallest trainer package my gyms sells. (8 sessions)

[DraconianOne]

Bleh.. projects blew-up at work from October through the Holidays meaning I simply didn't have the time or energy to go in.  Which also means I put on 15 goddamn pounds. 

My goal is to lose that over the next 3 months.  Long term for the year is simply to get down to 200#.  I don't do marathons or triathlons or any of that because running really kills my left knee. (Hooray improper Breaststroke form)  I don't have any lift goals because I don't want a lot of bulk. 

So yeah.. weight loss is my goal.

Good luck!

I have two celebrations today - first is that I ran 5 miles outdoors for the first time in three months after injury (hampered this time by astounding NYE hangover and overindulgence) and the second was that my first client has lost 8lbs in his first month of working with me.   My next challenge is to get him to start doing some regular exercise.

[Selby]

Bleh.. projects blew-up at work from October through the Holidays meaning I simply didn't have the time or energy to go in.  Which also means I put on 15 goddamn pounds. 

My goal is to lose that over the next 3 months.  Long term for the year is simply to get down to 200#.  I don't do marathons or triathlons or any of that because running really kills my left knee. (Hooray improper Breaststroke form)  I don't have any lift goals because I don't want a lot of bulk. 

So yeah.. weight loss is my goal.

Pretty much what happened to me since October, except no weight gain, just sitting there +/- 1-2lbs.  Plateau'd out at 205 in July and haven't been able to budge from that regardless of how much I work out (or don't).  A friend of mine is really pushing me to lift weights, she said I'll start seeing better results.  My main concern is just taking it slow enough to not damage my back or knee again as those recoveries can take 3-6 months in my experience.  I have been hoping for 195 for the last 2 years and while getting close, something seems to come up and railroad the plans every time.

[Cyrrex]

Bleh.. projects blew-up at work from October through the Holidays meaning I simply didn't have the time or energy to go in.  Which also means I put on 15 goddamn pounds. 

My goal is to lose that over the next 3 months.  Long term for the year is simply to get down to 200#.  I don't do marathons or triathlons or any of that because running really kills my left knee. (Hooray improper Breaststroke form)  I don't have any lift goals because I don't want a lot of bulk. 

So yeah.. weight loss is my goal.

If you would, define for me what you mean by "bulk"...usually when people say they don't want a lot of bulk, it is a massive misconception of how it all actually works.  Getting "bulky" (by my definition of the word) is actually extremely hard, and only a small percentage of people I see lifting actually get that way, and only through a calculated effort.  Most people are just trying to get a leaner, more muscular physique, and for 9 out of 10 people, that also means trimming down.  By your own admission of your weight issues, that would include you.  We can talk forever about why this is the case, but I will just throw this out there for you:  lifting weights is a far more effective way for you to lose weight and keep it off than what you are probably doing now.  Maybe I am reading too much into your statement of not wanting to set lifting goals, but it would be a mistake for you to dismiss doing any lifting altogether.

Women tend to make this mistake far more often then men, which is a bit ironic considering it is even far more difficult for a woman to get "bulky" (and do I need to point out the irony of overweight people saying the same thing?)  At the risk of sounding a bit dickish, I also think lots of people use it as a smokescreen, because lifting weights is uncomfortable and requires an effort they are unwilling to put in.  Others think that they have to be breathing hard and sweating profusely, otherwise they aren't burning calories, which is patently wrong.  Cardio certainly has it's place, but it isn't the place most people think it is.

Anyway, might be that I am taking your comment out of context, but I think it is an interesting conversation point nonetheless. 

[lamaros]

My goals are to get my body fat down a bit and put on a little more weight: I'm going for 75kg and sub 15% body fat. It should be achievable pretty easily for me if I can maintain my motivation, as I'm 73kg and about 20% now, so making a plan that keeps me motivated is my first goal!

I'd like to get in to lifting weights, something I have never really done, but don't know where to start. My apartment complex has a gym I can use, but it's somewhat intimidating going in with no knowledge.

[Yoru]

I've found, after basically ignoring the bodyweight routine I'd written out, that I much prefer lifting weights to equivalent amounts of other exercises. After a point, you have to focus on the lift to keep form and it squeezes all the bullshit of the day out of your mind. Either that or you fail and your spotter has to keep you from splintering yourself into eighteen tiny pieces.

It's kind of like yoga or zen, except with blood and steel instead of patchouli and New Age crock.

Finally getting settled into the new city; I found a gym about 20 minutes walk/5 minutes bike from my place. It's a shitty big-box place, but it looks to have a decent weight area. Looking forward to buying new gym shoes and signing up there this weekend.

(Aside: Wtf is with the explosion in women-only gyms? Of the 8 gyms that I found on Google Maps, 5 were women-only, 2 were MMA clubs, and only this last one was a "real" gym, and I use the term loosely when attaching it to big-box places.)

Anyway, my goal this year is to get back to where I was last summer: 80kg bench, 120kg squat, 120kg deadlift, 3x12 pull-ups, and however much I can punch overhead. After July, I had business trips and guests and moving between countries, so my routine went to shit and I expect I've dropped a fair amount off those highs.

There's also a decent climbing gym in my area for the first time in 5 years, so I might join up there. If I can find a decent climbing partner, I want to work back up to a 5.12a indoors and try to bust my outdoor lead best of 5.10d this summer.

I'd like to get in to lifting weights, something I have never really done, but don't know where to start. My apartment complex has a gym I can use, but it's somewhat intimidating going in with no knowledge.

Sounds like me four years ago. :) Just find a buddy or hire a personal trainer for a few sessions to get the form down and a routine established. Do some Googling, or maybe one of our resident muscle experts can recommend a beginner's program. It's not as bad as you'd think! Go for it.

[proudft]

I'd like to get in to lifting weights, something I have never really done, but don't know where to start. My apartment complex has a gym I can use, but it's somewhat intimidating going in with no knowledge.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

I've been doing this for a while - about 9 months total but I had some halfass gear for the first four months until I finally got a rack and some secondhand weights - and have been pretty happy with it.  I did a (common) swap of various rows for the power clean as the miscellaneous weights I put together are standard bar instead of olympic and don't spin.  Plus I'd probably hit the chandelier.  But anyway, I'm still slowly getting up to 'decent' weights on it (my squat/bench are about 115 lbs, deadlift about 140), but the visible results have been really good so far even though I still have a ways to go before I even hit my own weight on the big lifts.  That's the good part about starting from basically nothing, I guess.

But most importantly, it's been the only exercise I've ever done that has kept my interest for more than a week, and thus I kept doing it, and thus results are happening.  It's magical!

[Cyrrex]

I'd like to get in to lifting weights, something I have never really done, but don't know where to start. My apartment complex has a gym I can use, but it's somewhat intimidating going in with no knowledge.

http://startingstrength.wikia.com/wiki/Starting_Strength_Wiki

I've been doing this for a while - about 9 months total but I had some halfass gear for the first four months until I finally got a rack and some secondhand weights - and have been pretty happy with it.  I did a (common) swap of various rows for the power clean as the miscellaneous weights I put together are standard bar instead of olympic and don't spin.  Plus I'd probably hit the chandelier.  But anyway, I'm still slowly getting up to 'decent' weights on it (my squat/bench are about 115 lbs, deadlift about 140), but the visible results have been really good so far even though I still have a ways to go before I even hit my own weight on the big lifts.  That's the good part about starting from basically nothing, I guess.

But most importantly, it's been the only exercise I've ever done that has kept my interest for more than a week, and thus I kept doing it, and thus results are happening.  It's magical!

Yes, yes and yes.  This is the defacto starting program.  No need to look elsewhere.  Hopefully you have access to a rack that will allow you to do squats.  Follow the program to the letter.

On Power Cleans (with presses):  I am becoming convinced that these should be considered one of the must-do exercises, provided you have the room to do it.  I wonder about needing the spinning weights, to be honest, but maybe that depends on how heavy the weight is getting, not really sure.  Anyway, it seems a good exercise for getting some more "explosive" power.  It is one of the best trap and upper back exercises you can do, and if you do the push press at the end it might just be the king of all exercises for all-around benefit.  Legs?  Check, especially if you front squat with the heavier weights.  Lower and Upper back?  Fucking Check.  Rear delts, front delts and pecs?  Check.  Abs and core?  Double check.  My recent experience has me pretty much believing that (combined with the creatine intake) cleans & presses are the One Thing that have helped me break through the barriers I had hit.  The deadlifts might be more important overall, but I don't think I would have been able to improve the deads so significantly without these.  You also look bad-ass, because nobody else does them.  They are also waaaaaaaaay more fun that barbell rows.  Also, fuck barbell rows.

[K9]

Doing cleans without an Olympic bar seems like a quick way to ruin your wrists, perhaps you could fudge it at low weights, but I'm cleaning 100kg on good days now and the amount of torque I can feel even with a good bar is noticeable.

Otherwise I second all points. The best thing about starting strength is that it works. The main challenge is to stick with the core problem and get over any worries of how people at a gym might percieve you at the start. I guarantee that if you stick with it for 3-4 months, you will be significantly stronger.

[Cyrrex]

Doing cleans without an Olympic bar seems like a quick way to ruin your wrists, perhaps you could fudge it at low weights, but I'm cleaning 100kg on good days now and the amount of torque I can feel even with a good bar is noticeable.

Probably true, but I am assuming here that proudft is starting at something around half that weight or even less.  I would think it would be doable, but I am seriously just guessing.  I think the bar already kind of naturally spins a little when you put it into the rack position, so 40 to 50kg probably isn't going to torque your wrists too much.

[Merusk]

Bleh.. projects blew-up at work from October through the Holidays meaning I simply didn't have the time or energy to go in.  Which also means I put on 15 goddamn pounds.  

My goal is to lose that over the next 3 months.  Long term for the year is simply to get down to 200#.  I don't do marathons or triathlons or any of that because running really kills my left knee. (Hooray improper Breaststroke form)  I don't have any lift goals because I don't want a lot of bulk.  

So yeah.. weight loss is my goal.

If you would, define for me what you mean by "bulk"...usually when people say they don't want a lot of bulk, it is a massive misconception of how it all actually works.  Getting "bulky" (by my definition of the word) is actually extremely hard, and only a small percentage of people I see lifting actually get that way, and only through a calculated effort.  Most people are just trying to get a leaner, more muscular physique, and for 9 out of 10 people, that also means trimming down.  By your own admission of your weight issues, that would include you.  We can talk forever about why this is the case, but I will just throw this out there for you:  lifting weights is a far more effective way for you to lose weight and keep it off than what you are probably doing now.  Maybe I am reading too much into your statement of not wanting to set lifting goals, but it would be a mistake for you to dismiss doing any lifting altogether.

Women tend to make this mistake far more often then men, which is a bit ironic considering it is even far more difficult for a woman to get "bulky" (and do I need to point out the irony of overweight people saying the same thing?)  At the risk of sounding a bit dickish, I also think lots of people use it as a smokescreen, because lifting weights is uncomfortable and requires an effort they are unwilling to put in.  Others think that they have to be breathing hard and sweating profusely, otherwise they aren't burning calories, which is patently wrong.  Cardio certainly has it's place, but it isn't the place most people think it is.

Anyway, might be that I am taking your comment out of context, but I think it is an interesting conversation point nonetheless.  

You're out of context. I'm lifting but I'm not concerned about bulking up enough to do my own weight in bench or stair-stepping, etc.  I work out for an hour, 30 of lifting and 30 of cardio.  When the weights get too easy (i.e. I'm not sore after my 30 mins) I increase the weight by one plate the next workout.

Before October I was at 140# on the chest press machine, 120# on the tricep, 140# on the ab crunch, 150# on the lower back, 140# on the lateral pull-down, 100# on the shoulder press, 320# on the leg press, 140# on the quad and 120# on the hamstring machines.  (Bad knee means quad and hams go up very slowly as that stresses it worse than the leg press)

I do upper body & core one day and legs and core the next.  All exercises are 3x10 and I don't do the "throw it around because if I do it fast it's more effective!" crap.  It's all slow and controlled motions.

I started working out in 2009 at about half of that on everything.  I'm comfortable with the slow increase and it was slowly letting me drop-weight.  I can see abs beneath the fat on my belly, my main problem with weight is overeating and a hyperactive sweet-tooth.  

My wife isn't of any assistance in this despite years of conversations about eating better she still falls back to her white trash diet roots.   (Ez cheese, processed everything and lots of meat - red or white - with few vegetables and those that we have are canned.)  So unless I decide to divorce or make my own meals I know it's going to be a very, very long slog to get to where I want and need to be.

[Cyrrex]

Cool, gotcha.

My diet is pretty ugly right now, too.  Calorie intake is probably okay, because I am okay with putting on a few kilos right now, but I am eating too much shit.  Too much snacking.

[DraconianOne]

My wife isn't of any assistance in this despite years of conversations about eating better she still falls back to her white trash diet roots.   (Ez cheese, processed everything and lots of meat - red or white - with few vegetables and those that we have are canned.)  So unless I decide to divorce or make my own meals I know it's going to be a very, very long slog to get to where I want and need to be.

Does your wife do all the food shopping? What would happen to your relationship if you decided to make your own meals or not eat EZ Cheese?

[proudft]

Doing cleans without an Olympic bar seems like a quick way to ruin your wrists, perhaps you could fudge it at low weights, but I'm cleaning 100kg on good days now and the amount of torque I can feel even with a good bar is noticeable.

Probably true, but I am assuming here that proudft is starting at something around half that weight or even less.  I would think it would be doable, but I am seriously just guessing.  I think the bar already kind of naturally spins a little when you put it into the rack position, so 40 to 50kg probably isn't going to torque your wrists too much.

My overhead press is about 80 lbs right now (36 kgs), so you have guessed pretty well.  And yeah, the rows totally suck.  I did bent-over for a while but when the weight got up to around 150 I couldn't keep my back from humping even though my arms/upper back could have totally done more weight so I switched to Pendley and am bringing the weight back up on that.  (I have a tendency when something doesn't look right to me to drop the weight to 80% next time and start working back up by 2.5 lbs - my squat has been the biggest sufferer of this, but hey I'm aged and not injured, yet).

[K9]

None of those numbers are shabby, and you're being sensible to focus on form over everything else. If you have patience it will pay off for you. Too many folks rush their lifts and get frustrated or bored when they don't get any benefit.

On another note, all of you need to start doing this exercise 

[Cyrrex]

 

[Cyrrex]

Okay, so I had a strange little epiphany the other day.  You have by this point read my whining about my relatively terrible squatting.  My previous max was something around 135 kg, and it probably wasn't the easiest rep I'd ever done.  True max with a perfect rep was probably more like 130 if I have to be honest with myself.  I have been fretting endlessly over it, and have felt like the squat has been winning the battle against my psyche.  So for a change, I have been doing them in the Smith Machine, to see if I could build up more power without fear of failure, and just get a general confidence boost.  I didn't feel it was working.  I just don't like the Smith Machine...for anything, really.  None of the movements feel natural to me at all.  Probably because they aren't.  My time with the Smith has just proven to me that I should avoid it at all costs.  Le sigh.

Towards the end of last week, I decided to go back to the real squat bar.  I am at a new gym (better, yet older equipment.  Waaaay more hawt ladies), and they don't have a traditional power rack.  It's rather a big ass station where you can attach these monster safety pins out from it's pillars.  The pins are a bit of a pain, and nobody ever uses them, probably because absolutely less than 1% of them are squatting correctly and none of them are pushing themselves.  Not wanting to buck the trend, I did not put the pins on and started warming up.  First couple of sets felt good, so I decided to warmup to a couple of singles.  Got up to 125 and had no problem with it at all.  Why not do a rep at 135, I asked myself.  Had been a couple months since I had been squatting that heavy outside of the Smith.  It went down deep and back up perfectly.  I found I had more in my, so I did another set of 3 at 135, which would constitute a clear personal best.  It was heavy, but I managed all three reps quite nicely.  Then I did another set of 2, no problem.  Then another single after that.  Then worked my way back down, decreasing weight and increasing reps.  The whole thing was odd, due to how (relatively) easy it was all of a sudden.  WTF?  My confidence was instantly restored.  I was really trying to concentrate on keep my back totally rigid, and pushing through my heals.

Back at the gym yesterday, 4 or 5 days later.  Going to squat again.  This time, I'm looking forward to it because raawwrrr.  Put the pins on this time, as I have a feeling I'll be pushing my limit today.  Did my warm-ups up to a 135 single, all was good.  Said "fuck it" and put the bar to 145kg.  Down and up.  Said "fuck it" again, and bumped it up to 150kg.  That's a lot of weight to rack on your shoulders, feels like it is going to squish you.  Got it down, and got it back up.  It probably wasn't beautiful (I probably squat-morninged it a tiny bit), but I am counting it. 

So, something of a breakthrough, and I can't really explain it.  I said only a week ago that I'd be thrilled if I could get 150kg for reps.  Seems well within reason all of a sudden.  Best of all, I can now go back to the gym with the mindset that I am going to utterly rape the squat bar, and not the other way around.

[Cyrrex]

And to add something to the general discussion, here's something from T Nation which I find pretty interesting.  Can't remember if we've done this before.

http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/sports_body_training_performance/how_much_can_you_lift_wimp

Basically, how much you should roughly be lifting based on the value of any single lift.  For example, you can calculate from the following indexes if you use your Deadlift as the base:

   Index
Deadlift   100
Squat   71,4
Bench press   55,6
Pull-up   55,6
Hang Clean   45
Dumbbell bench   43
One arm row   43
Push Press   40
DB Incline   40
DB OHP   32,5
Hammer Curl   31,5
DB Curl   30
BB Curl   30
Skull Crusher   24
Pec Fly   20

As ever, take it with a grain of salt, but I find stuff like this useful in determining what needs work.

[climbjtree]

Well, my first post of the new year and some goals have been met. These are all my current maxes, but I'm benching 330, DL'ing 415, and can deep squat 405 all pretty reliably with no belts or wrist straps or anything.

I've also ventured into the realm of Olympic lifts a bit more and currently I'm addicted to snatches (insert joke here). If I can master the full hip extension and if I man up and catch the weight lower, I thin the weight will skyrocket.

Here's 175 lbs, feel free to critique: http://db.tt/ORU6HSuT

[K9]

That's an impressive snatch weight man, grats. Are you using straps for that? If you are I'd recommend dropping them in favour of chalk. I used to snatch with straps, but I have had one or two near-misses with snatches where I have had to ditch the bar backwards, and the prospect of being dragged down with it scared me off them. I still sue them for heavy DL and cleans, although even there I'm starting to prefer chalk as my grip strength improves.

As you say, olympic lifts are all about technique, get that down (it's hard) and you can put up some silly numbers.

[climbjtree]

Thanks dude! Those are just wraps for wrist support and my hands are chalked up. I'd be too nervous if I felt like I was attached to the bar... seems like you'd just be asking for an injury.