Soul Splint

Not to imply you aren't already doing this, but make SURE you are going down to a complete dead-hang at the end of each rep. Those first few inches of the pull really help, especially on wide grip variations.

I've been doing weighted pullups at least once a week for about half a year now, steadily progressing in weight. I do them with a wide grip a little over half the time, because I find this targets more of the muscles I am looking for, lats included. I also throw chin-ups in there, as they are also really good for lat activation. Another good tip I find useful is to use a false or overhand grip (where your thumb is not locked around the bar, but on top of the bar with the rest of your fingers) when doing rows or lat pulldowns. This really removes a lot of the arm activation that comes with pull movements and helps you to really focus on the back and lats. Also, deadlifts! They really do help all over, including the back. This stage is heartbreaking, and I know it well. How much of a calorie deficit are you currently maintaining?

Level 40 today! Leveling up on back day calls for back progress shots. I've lost some definition over the winter months, but have definitely gotten bigger and stronger. Especially digging the changes in my lats.

Yeah, if you are using a suspended ceiling I don't suppose you would want to poke 2x4s through it . I was working with rafters in an unfinished basement, so I had an unfair advantage. I honestly don't remember what size my pipe was, but it was bigger than 1". It may have even been a 2" (certainly no larger), but I prefer larger grips anyway. (Cue incoming penis jokes).

Funny enough I just made one last night. The crust is one head of cauliflower (processed), one egg, one cup of shredded mozzarella, and a tbsp of melted butter. Knead it all together then spread out on parchment paper in a pizza pan, bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes (crust should be golden brown), then flip it and bake for another 5-10 until that side looks the same. Add toppings, bake for another 5-10, DONE. You can add stuff like seasonings, ground chicken/turkey, more cheese, or whatever else you like to the crust to change its consistency. I don't know what kind of ceiling you have to work with, but my previous pull-up bar was constructed thusly: mount two 2x4 boards vertically from the ceiling, with holes slightly larger than your pull-up bar drilled through the lower ends. I used a piece of metal pipe for my bar. I then drilled a small hole through the pipe at both ends, so that the small holes in the pipe are aligned with the holes in the boards. This way, once you've inserted the pipe, you can drive a nail through the boards, through the holes in the pipe, so that the pipe doesn't rotate when you're using it.

Some serious forward movement there, bro. Way to go! Making progress on just about everything it looks like, and the ones that you haven't begun yet are in preparation. Is awesome to see:nicework:. Man, becoming a PT (the right way) is not cheap. I'm betting you'll see some good returns, though. Kudos for making the leap! I plan to take a look at my goal progress in about three weeks, because I expect to make another lunge forward in my progress right about that time.

Who ever said OA is a true bro?

Damn. You win, have my badge.

Gotta share my derp from Friday, where major cool points were lost (if ever they were gained). I'm setting up for OHP. A month ago, I managed 165 on OHP for several doubles. So I set up with 165 with the goal of getting a triple on my first set. (Disclaimer: at this point, I am about 6 weeks into a calorie cut). So I unrack and go to press. I get about halfway up and a very, very unmanly grunt, reminiscent of the consequences of too much cheese and not enough fiber, involuntarily bursts out of my mouth, followed by the weight falling back to my chest. That's right. Not. Even. One. Rep. Pure awesomesauce, I exude it everywhere. People were slipping in it and falling. Maybe that's why they were laughing. Yeah, that had to be it. No way it was the girly-toilet scream. Nah.

Hate it for you guys up north. We were doing just fine down here until February decided to go all derpy. Here's hoping we're headed back to warmer days finally.

Yeah, you're not far from me, I'm in northern Georgia. And here comes storm number five. Just...yay.

Glad to help out. I'll be pretty surprised if the peeps on here can't help you find the other three.

I'm almost positive that number one is from Jet Moto, though I don't know which track it is. I just remember hearing it both on the demo video and in the game.

Dear February, You are a bastard. This is now the fourth time in just over a week that we are under a winter storm warning. You have severely impacted peoples' lives, robbed me of therapeutic gym time, elevated my heart rate and blood pressure, and trapped my wife in her car for ten hours in what was easily the most worrisome night of my life, which has subsequently brought on bouts of depression and near-panic at the thought of more bad weather. You are not funny, you are pissing me off, and you need to just back the $* off. Seriously, February. QUIT YOUR SHIT. NOW.

BAM! Way to go bro, some serious changes there!

This is just what the doctor ordered. I needed something to help me chill out this morning, and this is doing a wonderful job so far. Really loving the flute mixed with the acoustic guitar. Much appreciated

Hey guys, would have responded to several posts that have gone up lately but there has been some serious craziness in my area due to nasty weather. Hope to be back in here (mentally and physically) by next week.

Yep. I train fasted. And I can speak to how your body responds when starting IF and doing it in a way that leads to fasted training. I used to eat from about 6:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., usually six or seven 'meals.' I read about IF and liked the sound of its benefits (optimized hormone production, more energy and clarity, appetite control, etc.) So I gave it a shot, and began eating my first meal at noon and my last meal at about 7:40 p.m. or so, so as to be finished eating by 8 p.m., giving me an eight-hour feeding window. With my job schedule this meant I would likely have to train fasted, as I usually train mid-morning. Honestly, the only physical effect I noticed was that I was hungry, but not 'weak' from lack of calories. The hunger part began to lessen after a week or two, and was pretty much gone by about a month in. Now it doesn't even faze me. I can walk past someone eating a full breakfast at 10 a.m., and my mouth may water a bit, but I don't get truly hungry until a bit before noon, now that my body is used to it. This helps so much with appetite control, because my body knows when it's "okay to eat," and when it's not. So by only having eight hours a day where I can eat, it's much easier to cut calories, and easier to not go overboard when on a bulk. Edit: So who else is bobbing their head to some 'Glacial Reflection' from the Fittest soundtrack in preparation for an awesome workout?

Lots of stuff here that I was going to post (of course). Thanks for the 'eloquent' compliment brah; I write for a living, so I appreciate it But yes, I was definitely going to ask what exercises you are doing, DK. By the way, I do IF as well. Great for appetite control and all-day energy, for me at least, which are both useful for cutting especially. And welcome to the new Mega Man of 1k posts

Get out. Leave your bro card on the table, and get out now. You should be ashamed.

Welcome! I will do my best to answer some of your questions, and I'm sure the other folks in here will chime in as well. As a side note, I'm quite familiar with the P-90 structure, as I have completed the P90-X and P90-X2 programs. 1) It's very understandable that you are hesitant to eat more. There are two ways you can go about this. One, up your calories by 400-500 for a couple of weeks to a month, and rigidly track your progress to see how much you gain. You can then adjust accordingly. Two, you can start with upping your calories by 100-200 for a couple of weeks, then every other week bump them up another 100, tracking your progress all the while to determine your sweet spot. Don't be afraid to increase; you won't put on wait very quickly unless you're eating quite a bit above your TDEE (like 700 calories or more). 2) I would heartily recommend graduating to some heavier weights with lower reps. If your goal is strength and size, you need to be topping out at no more than 10 reps or so on any exercise. Personally, I have a four-week cycle. For the first week I aim to fail within 8-10 reps. From there, it goes to 6-7, 4-5, and then 2-3 is the final week (meaning if I can lift the weight more than three times, it is too light). The kind of training you've been doing is great for endurance, but your muscle growth and strength will be more limited than they will with lower rep ranges. 3) Caloric deficit is not all that matters, but it is the most important factor. Fat is critical for hormone production (yes, saturated fat too!), which will keep you going strong for the long run. Carbs vary more from person to person, but are usually important for energy and performance, and can also have a lasting effect on your hormone production if you are carb-deficient for a long enough time. Ectogemia had some great posts about this subject further back in the thread, if you can find them and want to learn a bit more. 4) You're correct; don't worry too much about sodium in the long run for fitness, unless it's related to health issues. The only time I worry about sodium is when getting into a temporary "best-shape" physique, for photos and competitions, etc. 5) Your break needs depend upon how hard you're pushing yourself. If you look at your workouts and can objectively say you're pushing yourself to your limits 4-5 times a week, it's probably best to take a deload week once every 1-2 months. (By limits, I would define this as lifting to failure 4-6 (or more) times per workout, while working out for 45 minutes or more). This is a bit of a grey area though, as it varies from person to person and really requires an objective self-evaluation. You'll also have weeks where your body just feels fatigued and ripe for injury, and that's another sign. By not taking these deload (or rest) weeks, you're also frying your Central Nervous System, which can lead to nastier results down the road than just strained muscles. 6) Whether or not it's effective depends on what you're trying to achieve. Doing heavier weights for lower reps is going in a fairly different direction from higher rep training with HIIT. What exactly are your short and long-term goals? We'll be able to help you a bit more once we know those.

Was doing Overhead Press on Friday with 130 pounds. Started out with a relatively easy seven reps on the first set, then got a good burning press on rep number eight. Normally, I would have stopped there, being that it was only the first set of six. I SHOULD have stopped there. But me, being the brilliant guy that I am, thought, "But one more rep and that will be a new personal best at this weight!" My brilliance assured and my ego stoked, I proceeded to do a ninth rep. It took a good four or five seconds, and it was a grind. Barely locked it out. The result? I was near-useless for the rest of my sets, putting up crap numbers. And later in the workout, I began to notice some odd tightness and soreness in my left shoulderblade/neck area, that turned into me being unable to turn my head more than halfway to the left by the end of the day. It's now Monday, and it is still not quite back to 100%. And it could have been much worse. Ego-lifting, boys and girls. This is why we don't do it. Someone remind me to go back and read this every week or so

So I saw that everyone was all excited about the Prime Trilogy coming to WiiU, and then I remembered that I have a hard copy. Collector's Edition. That I've only played through once and probably never will again. THAT I SHOULD HAVE SOLD BEFORE THIS HAPPENED.