Sab's thread

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Replies

  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
    dulinh wrote: »
    Congrats - you look great! And... inspire me to keep lifting. Like you I started with just a small set of adjustable dumbbells - the transformation is incredible. I've been adding more and more equipment including barbell and my newest addition is a pullup bar.

    What kind of rack did you get?

    Thanks so much! Having adjustable *anything* for progressive overload is really essential. And I envy you for the pull-up bar.

    Regarding the rack... I didn't. I have assistance on the squat and bench, which are the only two lifts where I need the rack so far. I am torn between investing in one (with all the unfortunate and impossible storage problems it brings to the small apartment) and carrying on like this until I outgrow my weights and I get a gym membership.

    The other side of the home/gym/investment conundrum is that we are currently trying, so I have no idea when I will have to revisit my goals. Right now my goal is to get as far as possible as fast as possible, until that happens.
  • colorfulcoquette
    colorfulcoquette Posts: 94 Member
    You look amazing! What you are doing, what you've achieved over this period of time, is exactly what I aspire to do. Thank you for sharing both your experience and all of the data you've collected through the process :)

    So far I haven't been able to get past the mental hurdle of adding more calories and seeing my weight go up. You've inspired me to go for it. I never intended for my weight to be as low as I've been maintaining this year and I shouldn't allow it to mess with my mind as much as it does to gain a bit back in a controlled way along with my time in the gym.
  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
    You look amazing! What you are doing, what you've achieved over this period of time, is exactly what I aspire to do. Thank you for sharing both your experience and all of the data you've collected through the process :)

    So far I haven't been able to get past the mental hurdle of adding more calories and seeing my weight go up. You've inspired me to go for it. I never intended for my weight to be as low as I've been maintaining this year and I shouldn't allow it to mess with my mind as much as it does to gain a bit back in a controlled way along with my time in the gym.

    Thank you!

    The struggle with the scale, it's real. It was painfully real for me, especially since my measurements did not change that much in the last months. Luckily, I shot past my goal enough to have a "mental cushion" - a range of 4-5 lbs which I could put on during my bulk while continuing to be around my goal weight. I am just now entering new (or old?!) territory... the weight above my GW. But in these last three months I've inched upwards, I desensitized myself a bit.

    One thing I do is I weigh myself daily. I *need* to, for curiosity purposes - it's a habit. Seeing how much you can fluctuate from one day to the next also helps with the scale panic.

    Good luck to you! With a consistent programme, you won't even need it. One thing to ask yourself is, "what can go wrong?". Yes, you can put on more fat than muscle. Sure... why not. But didn't you lose before? You know how to do it. You got it. Bodies are wonderful machines, and perfectly programmable. The mind, though, is a bit more chaotic.
  • donharkrn
    donharkrn Posts: 187 Member
    What a truly remarkable job you've done these last months! The part about restarting a deficit after maintaining and bulking couldn't be more true, as far I'm concerned. I love that you share your thoughts and journey so eloquently and intelligibly. Thank you!!! p.s. You look incredible
  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
    donharkrn wrote: »
    What a truly remarkable job you've done these last months! The part about restarting a deficit after maintaining and bulking couldn't be more true, as far I'm concerned. I love that you share your thoughts and journey so eloquently and intelligibly. Thank you!!! p.s. You look incredible

    Oh Don, you wonderful human you. My achievement is tiny compared to yours, but hey - I'll take it!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,481 Member
    So glad you said you changed the name. I saw the change a couple of days ago and got confused.

    Way to go on the curl.

    Cheers, h.
  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
    So glad you said you changed the name. I saw the change a couple of days ago and got confused.

    Way to go on the curl.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks, H! Took my bloody time to announce it :smile:

    Went for dumbbell curls today (upper hypertrophy - 16.5 lb per hand *12) and the hand's fine. I think the straight barbell restricts / twists the forearm in a way which caused me grief. Will stay away.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,481 Member
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    So glad you said you changed the name. I saw the change a couple of days ago and got confused.

    Way to go on the curl.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks, H! Took my bloody time to announce it :smile:

    Went for dumbbell curls today (upper hypertrophy - 16.5 lb per hand *12) and the hand's fine. I think the straight barbell restricts / twists the forearm in a way which caused me grief. Will stay away.
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    So glad you said you changed the name. I saw the change a couple of days ago and got confused.

    Way to go on the curl.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks, H! Took my bloody time to announce it :smile:

    Went for dumbbell curls today (upper hypertrophy - 16.5 lb per hand *12) and the hand's fine. I think the straight barbell restricts / twists the forearm in a way which caused me grief. Will stay away.

    I like dumbbells better for curls too. Started too low for a bar and by the time I tried bb it was not 'natural' feeling. I think it also helps me with the left-right dominance unbalance.

    Cheers, h.
  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    So glad you said you changed the name. I saw the change a couple of days ago and got confused.

    Way to go on the curl.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks, H! Took my bloody time to announce it :smile:

    Went for dumbbell curls today (upper hypertrophy - 16.5 lb per hand *12) and the hand's fine. I think the straight barbell restricts / twists the forearm in a way which caused me grief. Will stay away.
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    So glad you said you changed the name. I saw the change a couple of days ago and got confused.

    Way to go on the curl.

    Cheers, h.

    Thanks, H! Took my bloody time to announce it :smile:

    Went for dumbbell curls today (upper hypertrophy - 16.5 lb per hand *12) and the hand's fine. I think the straight barbell restricts / twists the forearm in a way which caused me grief. Will stay away.

    I like dumbbells better for curls too. Started too low for a bar and by the time I tried bb it was not 'natural' feeling. I think it also helps me with the left-right dominance unbalance.

    Cheers, h.

    Yep, using dumbbells definitely feels more natural and pushes both arms to the same degree. I switched to dumbbells after my barbell mishap and it's way better.

    Short update on my side:
    • My slow bulk got a bit too much wind in the sails lately, and with Christmas around the corner I'll slightly reduce the intake (cutting out from carbs) on my rest days:
      5b0f36ij0jwv.jpg
    • It's great to see just how much proper nutrition, a small surplus and training consistency can contribute to performance enhancement. Since middle of August, my 1 RM for bench (which was very very weak) improved by almost 25 lbs. And my 1-arm dumbbell row, which was decent to begin with, improved by 12.5 lbs. That's really not bad. Of course, I get that progress *will* slow down at some point, but for now I'll take as much as I can get!

    Out of curiosity, is there anyone here having a profile on strengthlevel.com? I made one (you can find me with sabimproves) because I like the insights they're giving. And it's always fun having a benchmark.
  • dulinh
    dulinh Posts: 99 Member
    Congrats on your gains!
  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
    Thank you! :smiley:
    It's not that much yet and I am still into beginner territory... but I guess that's really a good thing, because things are continuing to progress fast. Even with running my own adaptation of a programme at home.
  • FitnTrimSteve
    FitnTrimSteve Posts: 664 Member
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    It's December, and since the 1st, I am smoke-free. This is it - this is my update. My NSV. My work in progress, still.

    I've smoked for almost 15 years, the standard pack-a-day, and that is excluding a two-year break I had between 2012 and 2014. First time I quit, I decided to give myself 6 months to come to terms with it, and then quit cold turkey. It worked then, so it had to work now as well.

    People go around this in a plethora of ways (reducing, taking 1-day, 2-day breaks, postponing etc) but I found that nothing short of cutting them, completely, cold turkey, would work. Have you seen Thank you for Smoking? I'm the guy that can disprove gravity, if that meant I could have another guiltless smoke. So if there is even a slither of a chance to reward myself for not smoking (by smoking of course), I WILL do it. It's all or nothing.

    And so on the 1st of December, my quit day established around 4 months ago, I had my last. It could *really* be worse right now - I mean it! Barring a work-related meltdown, I'm surprised how well it's going, but to be fair, it's only been 2 days and a half. Which actually is more than I've ever gone without, except for those above-mentioned two years.

    In any case, here is the plan for this last month of the year:
    1. Quit smoking [check]
    2. Keep all the other habits the same (coffee, a glass of something, etc) - it will be difficult to unlink smoking from the other daily pleasures, but it would be more difficult and unsustainable to cut them out as well. Especially coffee. I'm having my second coffee right now.
    3. Slightly decrease daily cal intake (by 100). I am slow-bulking on ca. 2100, so I will move to 2,000 cals and re-assess in a couple of weeks. The reason is that smoking cessation has a direct effect on the metabolism, regardless of whether I will compensate with food or not. This is a fantastic article, but the TL;DR on it would be that cessation leads on average to a 4 kg weight gain over the next 12 months. I want to at least be aware of this and act accordingly, tightening my logging.
    4. Keep weight training, 4 days per week. In this sense, the day I quit I made a gym membership. Not because of an accountability issue (I work out consistently just fine at home), but because... all the weights! All the machines! Also, deadlifting comes much more natural with bigger-diameter weights.

    My first gym workout was horrible and awkward and I wanted to drop everything and go, but still pushed through. My second one (yesterday) was better. Note: weights are converted from Kg, and I have no idea how much the 45degree sled for the leg press is weighing so I didn't put it in at all. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Moving the workouts to the morning actually helps with getting productively busy and not letting „the devil's thoughts” in. :smiley:


    e1dcpu0po0ix.jpg

    I am so very proud of you for making this big step, Sab. I've never smoked so I have no real idea how hard it can be to stop but I know it isn't easy for most people. I admire you for this and any encouragement or help I can offer is yours.
  • DawnOfTheDead_Lift
    DawnOfTheDead_Lift Posts: 753 Member
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    It's December, and since the 1st, I am smoke-free. This is it - this is my update. My NSV. My work in progress, still.

    I've smoked for almost 15 years, the standard pack-a-day, and that is excluding a two-year break I had between 2012 and 2014. First time I quit, I decided to give myself 6 months to come to terms with it, and then quit cold turkey. It worked then, so it had to work now as well.

    People go around this in a plethora of ways (reducing, taking 1-day, 2-day breaks, postponing etc) but I found that nothing short of cutting them, completely, cold turkey, would work. Have you seen Thank you for Smoking? I'm the guy that can disprove gravity, if that meant I could have another guiltless smoke. So if there is even a slither of a chance to reward myself for not smoking (by smoking of course), I WILL do it. It's all or nothing.

    And so on the 1st of December, my quit day established around 4 months ago, I had my last. It could *really* be worse right now - I mean it! Barring a work-related meltdown, I'm surprised how well it's going, but to be fair, it's only been 2 days and a half. Which actually is more than I've ever gone without, except for those above-mentioned two years.

    In any case, here is the plan for this last month of the year:
    1. Quit smoking [check]
    2. Keep all the other habits the same (coffee, a glass of something, etc) - it will be difficult to unlink smoking from the other daily pleasures, but it would be more difficult and unsustainable to cut them out as well. Especially coffee. I'm having my second coffee right now.
    3. Slightly decrease daily cal intake (by 100). I am slow-bulking on ca. 2100, so I will move to 2,000 cals and re-assess in a couple of weeks. The reason is that smoking cessation has a direct effect on the metabolism, regardless of whether I will compensate with food or not. This is a fantastic article, but the TL;DR on it would be that cessation leads on average to a 4 kg weight gain over the next 12 months. I want to at least be aware of this and act accordingly, tightening my logging.
    4. Keep weight training, 4 days per week. In this sense, the day I quit I made a gym membership. Not because of an accountability issue (I work out consistently just fine at home), but because... all the weights! All the machines! Also, deadlifting comes much more natural with bigger-diameter weights.

    My first gym workout was horrible and awkward and I wanted to drop everything and go, but still pushed through. My second one (yesterday) was better. Note: weights are converted from Kg, and I have no idea how much the 45degree sled for the leg press is weighing so I didn't put it in at all. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Moving the workouts to the morning actually helps with getting productively busy and not letting „the devil's thoughts” in. :smiley:


    e1dcpu0po0ix.jpg

    Awesome job on taking the first step. Good luck to you
  • SabAteNine
    SabAteNine Posts: 1,866 Member
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    It's December, and since the 1st, I am smoke-free. This is it - this is my update. My NSV. My work in progress, still.

    I've smoked for almost 15 years, the standard pack-a-day, and that is excluding a two-year break I had between 2012 and 2014. First time I quit, I decided to give myself 6 months to come to terms with it, and then quit cold turkey. It worked then, so it had to work now as well.

    People go around this in a plethora of ways (reducing, taking 1-day, 2-day breaks, postponing etc) but I found that nothing short of cutting them, completely, cold turkey, would work. Have you seen Thank you for Smoking? I'm the guy that can disprove gravity, if that meant I could have another guiltless smoke. So if there is even a slither of a chance to reward myself for not smoking (by smoking of course), I WILL do it. It's all or nothing.

    And so on the 1st of December, my quit day established around 4 months ago, I had my last. It could *really* be worse right now - I mean it! Barring a work-related meltdown, I'm surprised how well it's going, but to be fair, it's only been 2 days and a half. Which actually is more than I've ever gone without, except for those above-mentioned two years.

    In any case, here is the plan for this last month of the year:
    1. Quit smoking [check]
    2. Keep all the other habits the same (coffee, a glass of something, etc) - it will be difficult to unlink smoking from the other daily pleasures, but it would be more difficult and unsustainable to cut them out as well. Especially coffee. I'm having my second coffee right now.
    3. Slightly decrease daily cal intake (by 100). I am slow-bulking on ca. 2100, so I will move to 2,000 cals and re-assess in a couple of weeks. The reason is that smoking cessation has a direct effect on the metabolism, regardless of whether I will compensate with food or not. This is a fantastic article, but the TL;DR on it would be that cessation leads on average to a 4 kg weight gain over the next 12 months. I want to at least be aware of this and act accordingly, tightening my logging.
    4. Keep weight training, 4 days per week. In this sense, the day I quit I made a gym membership. Not because of an accountability issue (I work out consistently just fine at home), but because... all the weights! All the machines! Also, deadlifting comes much more natural with bigger-diameter weights.

    My first gym workout was horrible and awkward and I wanted to drop everything and go, but still pushed through. My second one (yesterday) was better. Note: weights are converted from Kg, and I have no idea how much the 45degree sled for the leg press is weighing so I didn't put it in at all. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Moving the workouts to the morning actually helps with getting productively busy and not letting „the devil's thoughts” in. :smiley:


    e1dcpu0po0ix.jpg

    I am so very proud of you for making this big step, Sab. I've never smoked so I have no real idea how hard it can be to stop but I know it isn't easy for most people. I admire you for this and any encouragement or help I can offer is yours.
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    It's December, and since the 1st, I am smoke-free. This is it - this is my update. My NSV. My work in progress, still.

    I've smoked for almost 15 years, the standard pack-a-day, and that is excluding a two-year break I had between 2012 and 2014. First time I quit, I decided to give myself 6 months to come to terms with it, and then quit cold turkey. It worked then, so it had to work now as well.

    People go around this in a plethora of ways (reducing, taking 1-day, 2-day breaks, postponing etc) but I found that nothing short of cutting them, completely, cold turkey, would work. Have you seen Thank you for Smoking? I'm the guy that can disprove gravity, if that meant I could have another guiltless smoke. So if there is even a slither of a chance to reward myself for not smoking (by smoking of course), I WILL do it. It's all or nothing.

    And so on the 1st of December, my quit day established around 4 months ago, I had my last. It could *really* be worse right now - I mean it! Barring a work-related meltdown, I'm surprised how well it's going, but to be fair, it's only been 2 days and a half. Which actually is more than I've ever gone without, except for those above-mentioned two years.

    In any case, here is the plan for this last month of the year:
    1. Quit smoking [check]
    2. Keep all the other habits the same (coffee, a glass of something, etc) - it will be difficult to unlink smoking from the other daily pleasures, but it would be more difficult and unsustainable to cut them out as well. Especially coffee. I'm having my second coffee right now.
    3. Slightly decrease daily cal intake (by 100). I am slow-bulking on ca. 2100, so I will move to 2,000 cals and re-assess in a couple of weeks. The reason is that smoking cessation has a direct effect on the metabolism, regardless of whether I will compensate with food or not. This is a fantastic article, but the TL;DR on it would be that cessation leads on average to a 4 kg weight gain over the next 12 months. I want to at least be aware of this and act accordingly, tightening my logging.
    4. Keep weight training, 4 days per week. In this sense, the day I quit I made a gym membership. Not because of an accountability issue (I work out consistently just fine at home), but because... all the weights! All the machines! Also, deadlifting comes much more natural with bigger-diameter weights.

    My first gym workout was horrible and awkward and I wanted to drop everything and go, but still pushed through. My second one (yesterday) was better. Note: weights are converted from Kg, and I have no idea how much the 45degree sled for the leg press is weighing so I didn't put it in at all. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Moving the workouts to the morning actually helps with getting productively busy and not letting „the devil's thoughts” in. :smiley:


    e1dcpu0po0ix.jpg

    Awesome job on taking the first step. Good luck to you

    Thank you both!

    It's not easy, but it doesn't have to be that dramatic, either. At least I'm one of those people who can naturally compartmentalize / shut down certain things that bug me, so as long as I keep busy, I keep clean.

    Also, there are now apps for quitting (...I wonder if there is anything in this world for which there's NO app yet). They're nice and helpful and take you through a sort of health milestone journey, based on the effects of your quitting on pulse rate, oxygen levels, etc.

    Would have been more fun if I wouldn't have gotten the mother of all flus right after quitting. „Your ability to taste and smell should have returned to normal by now” - yeah, if I *COULD* smell and taste anything, for kitten's sake.
  • FitnTrimSteve
    FitnTrimSteve Posts: 664 Member
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    It's December, and since the 1st, I am smoke-free. This is it - this is my update. My NSV. My work in progress, still.

    I've smoked for almost 15 years, the standard pack-a-day, and that is excluding a two-year break I had between 2012 and 2014. First time I quit, I decided to give myself 6 months to come to terms with it, and then quit cold turkey. It worked then, so it had to work now as well.

    People go around this in a plethora of ways (reducing, taking 1-day, 2-day breaks, postponing etc) but I found that nothing short of cutting them, completely, cold turkey, would work. Have you seen Thank you for Smoking? I'm the guy that can disprove gravity, if that meant I could have another guiltless smoke. So if there is even a slither of a chance to reward myself for not smoking (by smoking of course), I WILL do it. It's all or nothing.

    And so on the 1st of December, my quit day established around 4 months ago, I had my last. It could *really* be worse right now - I mean it! Barring a work-related meltdown, I'm surprised how well it's going, but to be fair, it's only been 2 days and a half. Which actually is more than I've ever gone without, except for those above-mentioned two years.

    In any case, here is the plan for this last month of the year:
    1. Quit smoking [check]
    2. Keep all the other habits the same (coffee, a glass of something, etc) - it will be difficult to unlink smoking from the other daily pleasures, but it would be more difficult and unsustainable to cut them out as well. Especially coffee. I'm having my second coffee right now.
    3. Slightly decrease daily cal intake (by 100). I am slow-bulking on ca. 2100, so I will move to 2,000 cals and re-assess in a couple of weeks. The reason is that smoking cessation has a direct effect on the metabolism, regardless of whether I will compensate with food or not. This is a fantastic article, but the TL;DR on it would be that cessation leads on average to a 4 kg weight gain over the next 12 months. I want to at least be aware of this and act accordingly, tightening my logging.
    4. Keep weight training, 4 days per week. In this sense, the day I quit I made a gym membership. Not because of an accountability issue (I work out consistently just fine at home), but because... all the weights! All the machines! Also, deadlifting comes much more natural with bigger-diameter weights.

    My first gym workout was horrible and awkward and I wanted to drop everything and go, but still pushed through. My second one (yesterday) was better. Note: weights are converted from Kg, and I have no idea how much the 45degree sled for the leg press is weighing so I didn't put it in at all. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Moving the workouts to the morning actually helps with getting productively busy and not letting „the devil's thoughts” in. :smiley:


    e1dcpu0po0ix.jpg

    I am so very proud of you for making this big step, Sab. I've never smoked so I have no real idea how hard it can be to stop but I know it isn't easy for most people. I admire you for this and any encouragement or help I can offer is yours.
    SabAteNine wrote: »
    It's December, and since the 1st, I am smoke-free. This is it - this is my update. My NSV. My work in progress, still.

    I've smoked for almost 15 years, the standard pack-a-day, and that is excluding a two-year break I had between 2012 and 2014. First time I quit, I decided to give myself 6 months to come to terms with it, and then quit cold turkey. It worked then, so it had to work now as well.

    People go around this in a plethora of ways (reducing, taking 1-day, 2-day breaks, postponing etc) but I found that nothing short of cutting them, completely, cold turkey, would work. Have you seen Thank you for Smoking? I'm the guy that can disprove gravity, if that meant I could have another guiltless smoke. So if there is even a slither of a chance to reward myself for not smoking (by smoking of course), I WILL do it. It's all or nothing.

    And so on the 1st of December, my quit day established around 4 months ago, I had my last. It could *really* be worse right now - I mean it! Barring a work-related meltdown, I'm surprised how well it's going, but to be fair, it's only been 2 days and a half. Which actually is more than I've ever gone without, except for those above-mentioned two years.

    In any case, here is the plan for this last month of the year:
    1. Quit smoking [check]
    2. Keep all the other habits the same (coffee, a glass of something, etc) - it will be difficult to unlink smoking from the other daily pleasures, but it would be more difficult and unsustainable to cut them out as well. Especially coffee. I'm having my second coffee right now.
    3. Slightly decrease daily cal intake (by 100). I am slow-bulking on ca. 2100, so I will move to 2,000 cals and re-assess in a couple of weeks. The reason is that smoking cessation has a direct effect on the metabolism, regardless of whether I will compensate with food or not. This is a fantastic article, but the TL;DR on it would be that cessation leads on average to a 4 kg weight gain over the next 12 months. I want to at least be aware of this and act accordingly, tightening my logging.
    4. Keep weight training, 4 days per week. In this sense, the day I quit I made a gym membership. Not because of an accountability issue (I work out consistently just fine at home), but because... all the weights! All the machines! Also, deadlifting comes much more natural with bigger-diameter weights.

    My first gym workout was horrible and awkward and I wanted to drop everything and go, but still pushed through. My second one (yesterday) was better. Note: weights are converted from Kg, and I have no idea how much the 45degree sled for the leg press is weighing so I didn't put it in at all. Fingers crossed for tomorrow. Moving the workouts to the morning actually helps with getting productively busy and not letting „the devil's thoughts” in. :smiley:


    e1dcpu0po0ix.jpg

    Awesome job on taking the first step. Good luck to you

    Thank you both!

    It's not easy, but it doesn't have to be that dramatic, either. At least I'm one of those people who can naturally compartmentalize / shut down certain things that bug me, so as long as I keep busy, I keep clean.

    Also, there are now apps for quitting (...I wonder if there is anything in this world for which there's NO app yet). They're nice and helpful and take you through a sort of health milestone journey, based on the effects of your quitting on pulse rate, oxygen levels, etc.

    Would have been more fun if I wouldn't have gotten the mother of all flus right after quitting. „Your ability to taste and smell should have returned to normal by now” - yeah, if I *COULD* smell and taste anything, for kitten's sake.

    Hope you feel better soon.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    There's no real need to load creatine, after a couple of weeks you reach saturation point whether you do or not, you will just excrete the excess if you take in more than you can absorb. Examine.com has a good write up on it.
    You may like me not even get the expected responses, my first experiment I could just as well been taken Parmesan cheese (which at least is tasty!) - no effect detectable either good or bad. Second experiment all it did was upset my stomach - not everyone responds to creatine and some get enough from their diet already.
    It is worth experimenting with though as it's so inexpensive and many get good results from it.

    Regarding bench press - really recommend watching Jennifer Thompson's Bench Press 101 tutorial on YouTube. It's excellent and she is astounding in how much she lifts. I thought I was quite decent at bench but added 10kg just from technique improvements.