Titan Tim Tackling his Twenties

Happy birthday man! Glad you’re gonna be able to get a full complement of plates so you can train at home. Does your brother train with you at all?

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He goes to the gym
and he also picked up on boxing

I ordered 25s

When 5s and 2.5s restocked I’ll order those too

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In the interim, you could buy ankle weights. They wrap around a bar just as good as an ankle, and can be held on with collars. I’ve had a buddy that did that in a pinch. And you can even use them for microloading in most cases, as you can remove the weighted pouches to go from 1-5lbs.

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Well that’s just about genius as hell, I like that idea :metal:

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That’s a really good idea
I actually have ankle weights here

Lol I ordered 5s this afternoon

Squat:
205x5 237x5 261x5
5x5 205

Deadlift
257x5 295x5 327x5
257 5x5

Press
Work up to 127x5

(Unfortunately I somehow got 4 well it was supposed to be 125 anyway)

Took @T3hPwnisher advice with the ankle weights. This is the closest to the percentages its ever been. If the number is retarded looking its either 1 or 2 lb more. 2-10 lb ankle weights is what i used.

Forgot accessories and also some dude with an african accent walked onto the driveway and started rambling about having a spotter for squatting. He said 205 was heavy and offered to spot. Of course I said I didn’t need one.

Dude was talking to me as if I had no clue what I was doing.

Ordered 5s and 2.5s

All I need is another set of 10s then I’ll be golden

Wednesday

Squat:
295x7 ( i wanted it so bad and I got it. That’s like a 315 5 rm)

50 pendlay rows

Bench:
Warmup to 205x4
155 5x7

Friday

Squat
205x5 225x6 255x6
5x5 205

Deadlift
255x5 295x5 315x7
10x5 255

Press
Work up to 115x5
5x5 95

Epic squat pr on Wednesday . I just finished this training cycle. Onto the next.

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@dagill2 i felt like i’ve been sick the whole training cycle. Nothing but a stuffy nose and thick whitish or clear mucus. I think it’s because the full body template is intense and I also train outside all the time. I don’t feel like crap tho.

I’m not a doctor, so I’m not able to give medical advice.

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Out of laziness here’s the hi-light of today’s 5/3/1 training session.

@T3hPwnisher @garagerocker13

Are my squats high or am I trippin?

Take out the parentheses in the link.
I can’t post links for some reason.

Hey man, they’re a little high in the context of powerlifting, but they’re not so high they’re ineffective for muscle/strength building. You’re a bit above parallel I’d call it. How wide is your stance?

Also, you look like you’ve put on some muscle since the last time you posted any progress pics/video, so nice work :metal:

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My stance is not ridiculously wide. Just a little about outside shoulder width.

I’m gonna go deeper next time. Last time I put 315 on my back in august it was deeper. The photo here was august. What the heck did I do today.

Now I’m starting to think my stance is inconsistent

Maybe it is. But “parallel” is a standard that does not apply to everyone. It just depends on what parameters you want to set for yourself while building strength and size. If you believe a squat to parallel is a ‘true squat’, then significantly reduce the weight and rebuild under those conditions. If you are getting stronger and bigger while squatting to a depth that is comfortable for you, and you just want to get stronger and bigger, then keep doing what you’re doing.

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Depth is high, but it’s more a product of the fact you’re squatting by shooting your knees forward and falling down vs breaking at the hips and sitting back. I imagine you could travel the same distance and have better depth by doing the latter.

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Hey tlgains, I know I’m not as experienced as these other guys but the “feel” of my squat improved like crazy after @mortdk (who likely won’t chime in, but one can hope!) and @garagerocker13 advised me on back and core tightness.

Somewhere in my log they give detailed explanations on how to properly brace and keep top half tightness. IMO the better braced you are, the more comfortable you’ll be with pushing depth if that’s what your goal is, as flap said. Your hips should stop shooting up out of the hole as well once youre locked in place up top.

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Speaking of bracing, I’m not seeing a whole lot of air going down into your stomach for a good brace before the reps - a cue you can use there is to breathe into your belly button as much as you can and force out against your belt.

Have you played with bar position much? It looks like it may be a touch high on your back which can affect your balance and make you iffy going into a deep squat.

And PWN is spot on about falling down rather than descending. You drop down pretty fast and “catch” yourself in the bottom. Maybe try just slowing down the descent next time you squat and I’d bet you have less of an issue with depth.

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I feel like tlgains and I are built pretty similarly, short torso, long legs and with lower bar position, at least from what I’ve found, creates more need for a forward lean and a more horizontal torso. Not that it’s a bad thing but it could amplify the hips shooting up out of the hole

Edit: That’s not to say he shouldn’t experiment with bar placement, though. I’d say speed, bracing and tightness would be #1+2 on my list, and then branch out and start messing with bar and foot placement etc.

I use the first rep of every squat set as a feeler… slow and controlled to feel out where my body should be in space at certain points in the lift. For reps 2- whatever I just try to copy the first rep but at increased speed.

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I’m built the same too - 32" inseam and I’m about 5’9. I actually tip forward worse with a higher bar position because it creates more torque on my torso. Kinda why I was giving the advice to @Bagsy to lower her bar position as well. I could just be an alien about it - a very good possibility actually - but figured it might help both her and @tlgains keep their torso tighter. A forward-leaning squat that keeps the same angle (ie doesn’t leak energy) is better than an upright squat that turns into a good morning when things get heavy, ya know?

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