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i didnt really keep track of anything yesterday, but ate very high carbs. i got about 8 hours of sleep last night and will be hitting the gym later today.

breakfast was 4 mini egg and cheese omelets
intra i drank evolution x10
pwo was 1 scoop whey and 8g fish oil and KA
30 min later, dinner was a naked burrito
snack was 2 scoops whey and 2 tbsp raspberry peanut butter
before bed 2 scoops casein and KA

i ran out of natural peanut butter, so until i can get more im going to be mega dosing some generic fish oil i have.

I took 300mg caffein and some B-6 and B-12 preworkout because I knew I would need a boost.

Squats- 95x5, 135x5, 185x5, 220x5, 220x5, 220x5, 220x3, 220x3

Seated Calf Press- +90x10, +135x10, +180x8
I did these slow and with good form in the span of about 3 minutes

I was aiming for 5x5 at 220 for squats, but on my 3rd set I started losing my form. I forced out the 5 reps, but the last 2 had bad form. I only did 3 on the last 2 sets because I wanted to just do as many as I could with the best form I could get. The weight was easier than my last workout, just lost my form in the end.

What's the form issue on the squats?

Knees bowing inward?

RobRegish wrote:What's the form issue on the squats?

Knees bowing inward?

i lean over too far forward and it puts a lot of pressure and torque on my lower back. its not bad because of the weight i use, but once it gets heavier it could/will be.

I see. Smart man then to cut it short.

This is usually due to 2 factors:

1.) Weak(er) abs relative to the lower back
2.) Bar being placed too high on the traps/back

For the abs, suggest working in 2 sets of static holds. Briefly, set up a rope attachment on a high pulley. Load it up and have someone assist you into a contracted crunch position. You should be kneeling with the handles held behind your head. Hold for 2 sets of 5-10 seconds.

You can also perform more strong range rack pulls. Top 1-2" of the movement with as much weight as you can handle. Focus on maximally contracting the abs. Do NOT wear a belt on this exercise if using it to strengthen the abs.

On the bar placement, if it's too high it causes you to fall forward. The lower bar placement places the load closer to your center of gravity and shortens the bar stroke. When you only have to move the bar 16" vs. 20" or like distance.... big difference.

Finally, the Hip Belt Squat. I know I keep hammering on this but consider it if even for just your top end sets. Finally, you'll be able to open the throttle and work those legs to the max with ZERO worries about the lower back.

Give those a shot and let me know if it helps. You were wise to cut those short.

i think i do have the bar pretty high on my back/shoulders, so i will try lowering it. also, i dont know how strong my abs are but i did have the chiropractor tell me back over winter break that my lower abs are weak. ive been doing an exercise of basically contracting the lower abs to help strengthen them, but not as much as i should.

got about 7.5 hours of sleep last night. it took me a while to fall asleep and i woke up about 30 minutes early.

before breakfast i took EC
breakfast was 8 eggs and 4 slices of cheese with KA
i took EC before lunch
lunch was 3 turkey burgers, not lean
preworkout i took 200mg caffein
intra i drank evolution x10 and KA
pwo was 1 scoop whey and 1 tbsp raspberry peanut butter with fish oil
dinner was buffalo chicken strips with chipotle sauce and 1 scoop whey
before bed i took 2 scoops casein

starting to feel like i have more strength after just 1 week of eating ~maintenance. ill be aiming for 2500-3000 calories until i take a break with vacation in ~3 weeks.

I took 200mg caffein and some B12 preworkout because I didnt feel any boost from my 2nd EC dose.

Bench- 100x15, 100x10, 135x5, 165x5, 165x5, 165x5, 170x5 with help on the last rep, 170x4 with help on the last rep
-superset with-
Neutral Grip Pull Ups- 5, 5, 5, 5, 4

Preacher Curl- 75x10

I added in the preacher curl right after my last set of pull ups just for the sake of getting more of a bi workout. The weight was enough for me to go to failure on the 10th rep.

I liked adding the preacher curl though, as well as calves and abs on the squat day. I also liked doing pull ups and will probably either stick with those or switch it up with that and T-bar rows.

MSR..

this is a good shot of where the bar should sit (at least to me personally, though it sits a little lower on my back).. i find if it is right across the back when you lift your elbows it "locks" in place, making the squat feel very smooth..

^^^
thats about where i have it, but i use a pad. idk how much that affects it or if i even need it. i usually get a light bruise either way. ill have to experiment with my form next leg day.

Nice work man. And yeah, that's low enough. I see guys with it right up next to their ears!

That was my concern...

i got maybe 8.5 hours of sleep last night and missed breakfast with my friend because i woke up late, but it was worth it.

before breakfast i took EC
breakfast was 6 eggs and 4 slices of cheese with 1 scoop whey and KA
took EC before lunch
lunch was buffalo chicken strips with chipotle mayo and buffalo sauce
snack was 1 scoop whey
dinner was a naked burrito with KA
before bed i took 1 scoop protalyn and 1 scoop casein

i woke up at 530 this morning and my alarm went off just after i was able to get back to sleep.

i took EC before breakfast
breakfast was 8 eggs and 4 slices of american with KA
lunch was buffalo chicken and chipotle mayo
snack was 1 scoop whey, 1 scoop casein, and 1 tbsp rasp peanut butter
dinner was a naked burrito with sour cream and no pico de gallo this time with KA
before bed will be 1 scoop whey and 1 scoop casein

So glad to hear the sleep issues are normalizing Matt. Rest is a huge, huge piece of the puzzle.

And way to work up to 8 eggs at breakfast Thought of you when I saw this:

https://www.steroidtimes.com/assist-your ... kfast/2010

And look at where the study was done, right in our backyard, UCONN! Don't you go there??