JTick Member

Thanks for the critiques - but I seriously cannot figure out the tuck thing. Should they be coming closer to my body, or pointed more towards my feet? I have tried to figure it out several times, but the only thing that seems to happen is I lose all control of the bar path.

This article was super helpful - thank you so much. My grip was much too narrow, and I wasn't squeezing the bar at all. I've found that since I've widened my grip out, my bar path is significantly better and more consistent. @SideSteel and @jmule24 - I was finally able to get some video tonight - I did both my setup and a…

Hi All - Thanks for the feedback. I will try to get a video this weekend - the videos I have are pretty old. SS: I think I do a neutral grip. It's definitely not wide. I've actually been trying to get it a little bit wider as it felt pretty narrow and was killing my triceps.

I have not - will start working on these. Thanks!

I would recommend a beginner's program first. I ran 5x5 for a year before switching to 5/3/1. 5/3/1 won't let you fully take advantage of newbie gains. I've been on 5/3/1 for two years now, and am still making progress. I add about 5 lbs to each of lifts every month, which is pretty solid considering I'm in a deficit. I…

9 for 9! All white lights.

First powerlifting meet completed. Totaled 738.3. Big thanks to @SideSteel and everyone who answered questions from me over the last couple of months. 270 lb squat: https://www.instagram.com/p/-7p3kIEBb2/?taken-by=jtick08 143.3 lb bench: https://www.instagram.com/p/-7qCI2kBcG/?taken-by=jtick08 325 lb deadlift:…

I have had one for 3.5 years now, and no weight gain or problems with losing. My biggest complaints are the acne it has caused and occasional cramping/stabbing pains when I sneeze or bend the wrong way.

I wear Chucks. I have to replace them pretty often because I deadlift sumo, and it's a lot of stress on the sides of the shoe. Once they're too broken for deadlifts, they become squat only shoes.

I pre-log breakfast and lunch the day before so that I can pack what I need. I normally decide dinner during work, and have a plan before I get home. I find that I overeat if I wing it.

Well, maybe if you squat wrong. I squat one and a half times my weight with no problems. OP: I started with an empty bar, and it was heavy to me.

LOL no it's not. And 1 gram = 1 ml only when you are working with water - other liquids have a different specific gravity. OP: How many servings are supposed to be in the container? I would weigh the entire container, divide by the numbers of servings, and use that gram weight for each serving. It's going to be a bit off,…

Why does it matter? Not everyone wants low calorie food.

How does the warm-up process work at a powerlifting meet?

This will vary widely based on the person. It will be trial and error - believe me, you'll learn quickly which foods to avoid. ;)

Where do you grip the bar? Taking a wider grip might help stabilize the bar a bit more on your back. Also - what do you mean you can't get them over your head? Do you mean they are too short for the squat rack?

How is it "not healthy"? Looks like a good source of fat, carbs, and protein to me. OP: I prefer the Clif bars, and eat one of those every morning. Hasn't killed me yet.

I wear mine for my top two sets on deadlift and squat - so ~80% and up. I did have to change the way I breathe when I first started wearing it, but I'm used to it now. I do wish I had a second belt for squats - I love my lever, but it's too tight for squats and does make me feel like I want to puke. Have you tried letting…

I've been on this program about 2 years. I have everything plugged into an Excel sheet, and it rounds to nearest 5 lbs. After every cycle I add 5/10 lbs to ORM, and it spits out my numbers for the next cycle. I just print it out and keep it in my gym bag. I don't deload often anymore. I used to deload every 4 weeks, but…

I eat them occasionally, especially when I'm craving something that's hard to make in a single serving. For instance - Stouffer's lasagna.

@zorahgail - I'm doing the Kentucky State Championships in Lexington in December. I emailed the director and he said it's open to first time competitors - I'm excited because I think I'll get to see some pretty great lifters there! @CarlKRobbo - I'm cutting in general. If I don't make the weight class I hope to, I'm okay…

Thanks all - definitely some thoughts here for me to keep in mind as I move forward!

Thanks SideSteel. I am still considered obese, so I would like to continue dropping weight. I didn't want to put it on hold for a meet. I currently plan on getting out of a deficit at least a month before the meet - so wherever my weight is then, that is where it will have to stay until after I compete. I am losing on 1900…

This was my 1+ week on 5/3/1, so at 95% effort. LOL I've been really struggling with hitting depth - I thought I had it, and every time I'd watch a video I'd see I was just an inch or two short. She's my lifting buddy, and my depth spotter for squats.

Squat 225x2 form check please: https://instagram.com/p/2W0DzwkBdF/

B) Nope, I had a tank top on, but leaning over the handlebars just left too much open to the outside world. Either I need a higher tank top or smaller boobs.

I did a study just last week of number of miles to biked to number of bugs caught in my bra. It was a 20mile:34bug ratio.

The adrenaline on race day will help more than you realize. I had some health problems this winter/spring, and as I was gearing up for my first half of the season every other run was just AWFUL. As in, I couldn't complete them, I was puking almost every time I ran, and I had to call it quits many times. My half still went…

Carbs don't lead to fat gain. Building muscle requires gaining at least a little fat. The way to minimize this is with a smaller surplus.