Macgyver's HRT journey

[macgyver]

First off congrats on the 6 wheels that's a huge milestone. Dead lifting is all about overall body strength. The mechanic's of a lift is what we continue to strive to perfect bc the better position we put our levers in the more efficient at a given lift.

As for 5,3,1 there is a version that you can do where on week 1 & 3 you hit only the minimum reps on last set then do singles not sure of the exact percentages. I know ramrod is doing this version of 5,3,1 maybe he can chime in further.

Great job Mac!

Thanks man. I am really going to begin to focus on my mechanics. I THINK I know what my faults are, but I video my lifts too and have gotten a lot of good feedback to help out. I hope I can continue to progress.

Can only speak for myself, but my DL went from 140 to 180kg in about 6 months.

WoW....that is good progress. I am hoping that through some form improvements I can see some decent jumps as I have never really tried to hone in. I am going to follow the 5/3/1 to the letter and see how it goes. Thanks!




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On another note Something came in the mail today!

I guess this means I can get rid of my $20 velcro one .... I will be interested to see if I feel different with it.

Now I need to kick this cold so I can put it to use. (I went with the 10mm lever)

 

[FLEXjs]

Nice belt; I have the exact same one.

Maybe bigger waist size though....

 

[macgyver]

Nice belt; I have the exact same one.

Maybe bigger waist size though....

They made mine from the scraps from making yours!













j/k big guy.....my waist aint THAT small!

 

[FLEXjs]

They made mine from the scraps from making yours!

lmao


u r 1 cheeky ****, m8

 

[macgyver]

Tonight I decided to shoot a little progress vid. It is 6 weeks into my surplus. I am a little behind on my eating and not exactly where I had planned on being....but I was in Disney for one week and sick for another. The scale is just moving into the lower 200's now. Up about 13-14lbs since upping cals. (the first 8-10lbs is all glycogen / water retention)

Anyway....6 weeks into surplus. 203 in the vid. Strength back 100% to pre-cut levels....and ready to make some progress. Started my 5/3/1 today. Going to really focus on developing some power now.

To go with my new power training.....I upgraded my belt....and dropped for a good pair of squatting shoes.

I went with the mid-level Adidas. The heel on the cheaper ones compress too much....but these are very nice. Cant wait to use them.

 

[macgyver]

Dup post deleted

 

[macgyver]

I decided to invest in a "real" pair of weightlifting shoes. I went with the Adidas Power Perfect 2.0

http://www.adidas.com/us/product/mens-training-power-perfect-20-shoes/EV210?cid=G17563


They are not "top of the line" but they have all the features you would be looking for in a good squat shoe. The cheaper ones have some compression issues. These and the more expensive ones have totally rigid heels.


Today was my first squat session in them. I have to say, I really like them A LOT. I am still learning to squat again....and find my groove so to speak. The stability was UNREAL with these. I really could feel the transfer through my heels. Even better was the lateral stability from the stiff heel. I felt like my feet were glued to the floor. The heel raise (3/4" on these) really helps you transfer power through the heels.

I am doing a 5/3/1 so it is allowing me to do lighter sets right now. You can see from the vid my form is still "jerky". That said, this is the best I have felt squatting in a long time. I think, once I get a little more dialed in, these will really help push some weight with confidence.

I am still being careful with my pulled hip flexor....that said, these raised my heels up enough that I did not even feel it at the bottom. All in all.....I have to say I am VERY happy. I expect this is the start of some good stuff.

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

Those shoes look pretty good, nice choice. The heel is pretty solid on the ones you bought?

 

[macgyver]

Those shoes look pretty good, nice choice. The heel is pretty solid on the ones you bought?

Heel is TOTALLY rigid. I was really shocked how much a difference these made in the 'feel' of the squat. Over the years I have squatted in just about everything. Recently I have been using my ascis wrestling shoes or I have a pair of Vibram 5fingers. ABSOLUTELY nothing like these. The stability they provide, especially laterally, really improved the track of my knees in the squat. Since I took some time off squatting, my form was sloppy anyway....but just switching shoes made me almost feel like I had my 'groove' back.

The full elevated heel (3/4") is nice and perfect for me.

As for rigidity, I could not feel any compression at all. (but I did not go real heavy). I read reviews online and these got very good reviews from Oly and powerlifters. They have 2 other models ($200 range) but these got reviews just as good.

I actually found them for $100 and free shipping on ebay! Saved $50. Shoes came drop shipped right from Adidas.

here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/11103074761...eName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

 

[Mini Forklift Ⓥ]

That seems like a good price ~ I bet they make the world of difference for squats and I don't doubt that you'll notice the effects of them as soon as you start putting weight on the bar.

 

[macgyver]

5/3/1 is in the second week. Despite feeling like the workload is small...the volume from all the accessory work really put a hurting on me! BIG TIME. I need to start doing some more recovery tools....foam rolling, stretching etc. This week drops to 3 reps. Tonight again felt easy....but I know I am going to be beat down again. I am really enjoying it. Never thought squatting twice a week and deadlifting twice a week would work...but it is...and hitting me hard as hell! I have heard the accessory work really brings up everything. Time will tell!


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Quick relaxed shot from the gym tonight.

Poofy and puffy, bulk mode

 

[macgyver]

Man, I cant catch a break. After being sick twice (pretty bad) this week I caught a stomach bug that had kept my daughter home from school all week. It came on very fast and hard. Possibly one of the worst things I have ever experienced. Man, I thought DOMs were bad from working out, well the full body DOMs that you get from puking your brains out for a day are WAY worse!

I was not able to eat food for two days. Last night at 7pm was the first time I made it out of bed and got some soup to stay down.

Well, I did not want this to screw up my progression on my workouts, but I was not sure my body could handle it.

I tried to make up two workouts....bench and deads.


Deads were supposed to go
380x3
435x3
495x3


Bench was
255x3
290x3
330x3





The deads were TOUGH.... I almost threw up several times. The last set was tough...but I got it. You can see my set-up was extended. That is because I was holding back puking from bending over. (srs)


What I was happiest about was my form stayed great. Must be because I was just concentrating on lifting. My last rep was awesome...even though I was beat. Everything rose at the same time. No early hips! This is a huge deal for me.

Here is a vid of the last set 495

Weird thing was after that, my bench sets were very easy. Almost too easy?.... I dont get it. Maybe my stomach was not ready to bend over just yet?....

I skipped my accessory work and wanted to just give myself more recovery. Probably did too much anyway.