I haven't missed a rep squatting yet, but I will sooner rather than later most likely. Will I miss a rep because I'll do four and know that I won't be able to do another, or will I squat down and not be able to stand back up? Who knows. Why take the risk? That's just dumb. Use the pins. "I've never seen anyone ditch their bike and scatter their brains across the highway, so I'm not going to embarrass myself by wearing a helmet like some kind of *chump*!"

I think I'll just omit dips since they don't seem to be very beneficial anyway.
By the way, Sick, I once squatted without a spotter carrying maybe 105 pounds total and after a few reps I just slowly collapsed (safely but clumsily) in front of everyone. No one seemed to care, and I thought it was funny later.

Is there an online muscle navigator with the best kinds of exercises for each individual muscle?

What are the problem area(s)?

Here ya go: http://www.exrx.net/Lists/Directory.html

Also has useful 1 RM calculators.

How many of you guys do yoga? I've started doing Iyengar. Recommended doing.

Finished week 11 of StrongLifts and made a video of it. 100kg/220lb squats, 60kg/132lb bench, 70kg/154lb rows.

I am being denied bearing witness to this by some sort of idiot demon.

What sort? I'm not exactly a YouTube wizard so it's possible I botched something in the process of editing/uploading that video.

works for me

Batman, what's the name of the band(s) playing in the background? Sounds pretty awesome, but if I were to take a wild guess, I'd say Incantation?

I went to the gym today with a friend of mine but some fucker working there tried to sign me up for a membership, but I could see right through his bullshit. We ended up doing just 3 sets of lat pull downs and bicep curls because the gym was so damn crowded. I wasted two months of my summer doing fuck all, so I better hit the gym ASAP before uni starts in September.

First track is Spectral Voice, second is Undergang, third is Nails, fourth is Speedtrap.

Oh sorry, I didn't watch the whole video, thus I just heard the first song and a bit of the second. Thanks though. You seem to be making good progress, dude.

The vid might be blocked in some regions because it was uploaded from S Korea? Don't they have weird internet laws/censorship there?

Sure, you can't watch porn or pro-North Korean things here, but I don't see how that would impact people in other countries watching something I uploaded from here. Anyone else having problems with it, or just Wyrmy?

Worked for me. Looking good batman! Also I'm liking the hair progress, very nice indeed.

Side note because music was mentioned.... I can't fucking wait for July 15th, Spectral Voice and Undergang for only $10.

Been too long since I've posted on MA but I thought I'd might as well brag about my cut. Down from 220s to 196lbs.

Yeah that's epic lighting but looks great anyway

Yooooo! Looking good bro!

Don't listen to your brain; you're looking great, man. No homo

How tall are you Apostle?

Thanks, brahs.

@PvtNinjer 6 feet exactly.

Thanks dude. I think I'll wait another month or so before being brave enough to post progress pics since I'm still a fatass. Hair's actually usually longer than it looks in that video, since I go to the gym first thing in the morning so it's basically this really puffy afro thing that curls up into a ball sorta when I tie it back. You're a real bastard with that show, too, ugh.

Shitty gym day today. Back on 45kg OH press after taking that deload and I went 5/5/5/4/4 with some ugly reps in there. Also, I was resting on a bench next to the squat rack between OHP sets and this trainer guy comes over and grunts at me, points at the bench, then makes a "stand up" motion with his hand without even saying anything. I'm like, "uh, what?" and stand up after he makes the motion again, then he just takes the bench so he can sit on it and watch videos of himself in bodybuilding competitions while he counts off reps for this soccer mom doing lunges. Then, after I finish OHP (well, don't finish it, heh) I'm carrying over more plates and loading up the bar for deadlifts, and this fuckin' other Smith machine dweeb goes over and steals my goddamn plates instead of getting some off the plate rack.

Plus I've got a crazy long workday ahead of me teaching my own classes plus covering my coworker's because he's trapped on some island he visited over the weekend until the seas calm down. Fuckery all around!

Stuff like this makes me so glad I'm doing my training at home.

I'm a few inches taller than you but my bf% is still a bit too high and we are about the same weight, still cutting till the end of summer though. I got a lot of work to do this bulk season lol. I'm hoping to do a proper bulk this time around, I gained quite a bit of weight last year, but it was pretty dirty and gained a bit more fat than I was comfortable with. I was actually shooting for 220 but stalled at around 205-210. I suck at eating.

edit: That sucks about those jerks at the gym iamntbatman. I find at worst, people are generally just inconsiderate, but every once in a while you get one of those dudes or ladies who thinks they own the gym and your very existence is an inconvenience to you. These are the same people who will do a circuit on the gym's most coveted equipment during peak hours. I deal with people all day so sometimes it's a bit of a pain in the ass to get to the gym after a tough day and it's crowded or whatever. I still think the positives of actually going out to the gym (getting me out of the house, keeping me honest) outweigh the negatives, for me anyway.

Having trouble reigniting the killer instinct lately. Still walking to the gym and maintaining my lifts at worst - slowly increasing at best. They actually got a plate loaded leg press so this is great news for me. I can't squat with a bar because of my back. Also pulled something in my back doing cable rows with 220 a week or so ago, still nursing that injury. Legs are down in size because I've been walking 4-5 miles a day since I totalled the car, but I'm holding my condition even though my diet is kind of sloppy at times. Delts and tris are coming along very well, biceps still need a lot of work though.

Heading up there now; over and out.

Did he not know any English? I wouldn't have moved until he asked me if he could please use the bench if I wasn't using it, or something semi-polite. Hell he could have at least asked you in Korean and you'd still know what he was saying.

Dude, back injuries are the fucking worst. I pulled/strained a muscle in one of my lats while deadlifting a week ago and it is still nagging me. It's right behind my ribs too, so if I breath too deep it causes discomfort. My job is also physically intensive, so it can be difficult to pick things up off the ground, bend down, or grab things on the heavier side. I try to foam roll it whenever I can, and I do feel like it's coming along, but goddamn it feels like it's taking forever to get better.

Been dirty bulking for more or less two years then I took a photo of myself and the fat around my face disgusted me into cutting. These last few months are the first time I actually bothered to count calories and macros. Definitely looking forward to what results a calculated, efficient diet will bring about next bulk too instead of just indiscriminately stuffing my face.

Right? I mean, I would have understood, but even if I didn't know a shred of Korean putting some politeness in your voice coupled with the gestures would've worked for anybody. Instead he had to give me this glaredown caveman alpha male shit. The other two people who typically work there are really nice though, but don't seem to interact with this guy much. Could be he's just an asshole.

Yeah last year I went from something like 170 in January (I had been living in pretty... rough conditions for a year or so, let's say) to 205-210 (i fluctuated a bit once I reached my peak) by the beginning of the new year. I liked looking beefier, since I've always been tall and scrawny, but I definitely put on a nice layer of blubber. I'm starting to look not too bad since I've started cutting, but my diet hasn't been optimal and I know I can do better. I'm hoping to do better this fall/winter, plan my diet/follow it better, etc.

No idea how you guys can morally come to terms with these "dirty bulks." I have no problem upping the calories a bit, but I just can't get away with gorging on whatever. Guess that's a good and bad thing, since it does indirectly keep my diet in check..

"Morally"? Jesus, man!

"Yo I'm tryina get huge so I only eat deep fried babies with beluga caviar and shark fins."

Did any of you lifters ever get hernia (possibly split abdominal muscle) problems? I think I managed to get one over my bellybutton and it seems 90% of those who get it are women who recently gave birth. Going on vaction in a few weeks, so I'll skip a doctor's appointment until then since I don't have any pain. Hard to find any solid tips on how detrimental it could be to keep lifting until then, so I'm leaning more and more towards just running on my lifting days instead.

If it hurts in a way that just plain hurts or feels wrong STOP! It might just be a strain that will be fine if you chill for a couple weeks, but could get a lot more serious if you don't.

On the topic of dieting, I could never count calories, that's just going to far, and nutrition is a very complicated science. Some people avoid carbs at all costs, some don't eat carbs after 2PM, some people eat all the fat stuff they want and are still ripped. I don't know what's right or wrong.

When I was working out hardcore in my early 20s I worked at a pizza place and would eat like a whole free pizza everyday and I was still cut AF. Currently I'm trying to go super health freak, non fat greek yogurt with fruit and nuts for breakfast, homemade turkey sandwhiches, fish, salads, veggies etc. Not touching any kind of pizza or red meat or candy lately, I haven't noticed much of a difference yet aside from "feeling" healthier. I don't know if it's correct to eat so healthy when you are lifting like crazy or if you're better off actually eating pizza sometimes after a mega workout. I've definitely made some quick progress in my lifts already in the past few weeks, that muscle memory is coming back

I should probably get back into counting calories, tbh. I'm not happy with the lack of progress; I should be closer to where VoidApostle is, but I haven't nearly shredded enough. BF% is still way too high.

Latest progress pics, though, as it's that time of the month.


P.S. This is rather embarrassing to ask, but does anyone know of any techniques to get rid of saggy pecs? I do an intensive chest routine - dystopia can back me up on that - but I still end up looking like that.

Can you do a flexing shot? You look bigger than in the past imo

Yeah, I could do that. Will do that next time I'm taking photos.

I'm waiting.

Honestly, I've always had an awful diet, saved by the fact that I'm tall as fuck, fairly active and don't eat lots so I needed to eat quite a few calories to gain weight. Obviously, there's more to a healthy diet than not being overweight, so as someone who was pretty new to fitness and health, and who is admittedly fairly lazy, I just ate as much as possible and tried to eat as much protein as possible. I wasn't counting calories precisely but I was roughly estimating and was shooting for a little over 3000 calories a day, which was tough. I think I'm at the point now where I'm ready to do a "proper" planned bulk, though.

as far as diets, what's right, what's wrong: There is definitely lots of woo and heresay that goes around. Personally, I don't see whats wrong with trying stuff out for yourself and seeing how you feel and how you perform when it comes to deciding on diet when it comes to things like macros, etc. I've been kicking around the idea of trying keto out.

edit: derigin, your pecs don't look bad to me?