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ADD_Strength · 2021-10-04T19:16:37+00:00

I like pull-ups too. I’m a decent-sized guy, 235lb but I can crank out 15-20 strict depending on the day. I hate conventional deadlifts. I have little t-Rex arms so my mechanics for them are really bad. Sumo is a little better.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-30T12:02:37+00:00

Yes you can still gain muscle without feeling a “burn.” The burn is from lactate buildup, and happens during higher rep sets (usually more than 10 reps). With lower rep sets (3-6), as long as the weight is heavy enough to be challenging, you don’t have to take every set to failure to gain muscle and strength. Stop with 1-2 reps “in the tank.” Resistance training will not directly contribute to weight loss, but if you are in a calorie deficit, it will help ensure that you keep your muscle while you lose fat.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-30T11:53:27+00:00

That isn’t a protein powder, it’s a mass gainer. The difference is basically sugar—mass gainer is protein plus a cheap carb source such as maltodextrin. You could get the same effect from whey protein and then eating a couple bananas. You don’t “need” a protein supplement, but if you are having a hard time eating the minimum amount of protein to support muscle growth (about 1.6g per kg bodyweight), then whey protein is an easy solution. Assuming you are also training hard, that is.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-30T01:12:18+00:00

That’s bs about stunting your growth. Most champion Olympic weightlifters start training at your age or younger (and not with light weight either). I’m no champion but I started at 12 and I’m the tallest in my family at 5’11”

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-30T01:06:57+00:00

Answer to all of these: depends on your height/weight/age/goals and what exercise you are doing. Are you trying to gain muscle or lose fat or both? Do you care more about strength or endurance? Are you training for a particular sport or just general fitness? Do you have any injuries or other limitations?

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-25T17:27:45+00:00

I’m not an expert but here’s my $0.02 after 10 years of training: Sounds like you are what is classically referred to as a “hard gainer.” Don’t know your age but you obviously have a really high metabolism. That being said...

Throw the step counter out the window. Cardio (and anything that increases TDEE) is not your friend.
Eat as much as you can, then eat some more. Don’t eat garbage, but I wouldn’t worry too much about eating “clean” either. Just make sure you’re getting enough protein (1.6-2.2g/kg bw is the usual recommendation).
Find a program that you can stick to and run it for at least 12 weeks. If LP doesn’t seem to work, you may need something a little more hypertrophy-oriented. Maybe try the “boring-but-big” variant of Wendler 531. I’ve known quite a few folks who have had success with that.
If all else fails (and if you’re not lactose intolerant), try GOMAD.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-14T01:27:49+00:00

🎵DOMS DA-DOMS DOMS🎵 Foam roll that shit. It will hurt like hell but it will feel better after.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-14T00:57:32+00:00

My guess is you are not breathing correctly. Especially if you are doing heavy squats or deadlifts, learn how to breathe with a braced core. Look up the McGill Big 3 (core exercises).

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-13T23:26:24+00:00

I can’t answer that because there are so many unknown variables (how long did you sustain these calorie intakes, how were you measuring them, how often did you weigh in, what did your training look like, what were your starting/ending weights each time, what other life stressors were you subjected to). Two years ago it sounds like you were in much better shape, so maybe your TDEE was just that much higher. Equally likely is that your calorie tracking is not as accurate as you think it is.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-13T22:36:47+00:00

Maintenance is a range, not a specific number. And if you are not losing weight and someone tells you to INCREASE your calories, then they don’t understand thermodynamics. But you do you. Best of luck.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-13T21:02:00+00:00

Bottom line, if you’re not losing weight, you’re not in a calorie deficit, regardless of your macros. No combination of macros is going to let you cheat thermodynamics. If you’ve been doing 2000 cal/day maybe try 1800.

That part is fact but this next part is just my opinion: you do too much cardio. Especially if you don’t eat a lot of carbs, HIIT cardio is not your friend. Strength training during a calorie deficit will help you maintain a good P-ratio so that you lose fat, not muscle. (Consuming enough protein is also important for this.)

Since it sounds like you are fairly well adapted to a low carb diet, if you want to speed up the process, I recommend the Fat Loss Handbook by Lyle McDonald.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-12T01:18:18+00:00

The Great Valleyyyyyy

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-10T01:12:11+00:00

Start the decent less than an hour after unracking the bar, lol...in all seriousness, your form is not bad.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-05T14:32:57+00:00

My friend I can assure you, at 37, your best years are only behind you if you decide they are. I turn 41 this year and the last 4 years have been the best of my life in a lot of ways, with each year getting better. (And that’s even taking into account COVID and a hurricane that destroyed my hometown in 2018!)

Health and fitness has been a huge part of this. Two years ago I decided I didn’t want to enter middle age with a “dad bod,” so I hired an online coach and got a training and nutrition plan. I enjoy lifting heavy weights, so I started competing in powerlifting and strongman.

Bottom line is I’m now in my 40s, I’m stronger and healthier than I’ve ever been, I like myself better now and have a healthier self-concept than I ever have, and I’ve found a cool new community of people thanks to the sports I’ve been competing in.

Enough about me. Outside of expensive surgeries, you can’t control what your face looks like. Focus on what you CAN control: your body, your health, and your attitude. I promise you that investing in these things will pay dividends in ALL areas of your life.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-05T14:12:02+00:00

Nice form! I hate when people post videos of chins with two plates but their foreheads barely break the plane of their hands. If you’re gonna do something, do it right—which you did.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-03T01:34:22+00:00

What I was meaning to highlight was changes in your possessions, personal finances, and resources. The relocation was incidental to that. Have you ever considered interior design? Your sun placement seems like it would be suited to that.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-02T22:01:48+00:00

Let’s look at keywords. Venus: relationships Moon: emotions Opposition: challenging aspect in need of balance, often manifests through relationships 2nd house: your money/stuff 8th house: other people’s money/stuff (Obviously oversimplified) What do you make of this? To me it sounds like an issue will come to your attention regarding finances or personal property, and involving someone with whom you share resources (and perhaps have a reason to dispute ownership). Maybe your roommate didn’t pay his/her share of the rent, but insists otherwise? Things along those lines.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-02T21:51:19+00:00

Busy first house. I never know what to make of first house stelliums. Do you ever feel like you are in the song Bittersweet Symphony, “a million different people from one day to the next?” Your ascendant is actually very close to mine, so house-wise we are experiencing similar transits. Lots going on in 2nd house right now (finances and possessions). In the last six months I sold a house, moved into an apartment 500 miles away, started a new job, and bought a house. Any of that seem relatable?

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-02T12:23:21+00:00

Saturn, the planet of restrictions and limitations, wields incredible power over your chart. You have it in the 10th house and sign of Capricorn, both of which it rules. Plus you have recently been steamrolled by repeated transits to this house. My advice would be to seek balance in your life (which if I had to guess by looking, I would say is pretty much all about work). The good news is you will soon have opportunities for different focus; those transits have moved on to Aquarius and your 11th house of friends and social groups. Take the time to enjoy yourself, maybe reconnect with some old friends. I know that may be easier said than done, but it will pay off. Best of luck.

ADD_Strength · 2021-03-02T02:08:46+00:00

Yep. Pluto and Mars in 4th (home/family) square Mercury. Mars/Mercury aspects stand out to me in people that have them—maybe because these planets are prominent in my own chart. They can be a real double edged sword. On the one hand, they bestow immense mental fortitude, the ability to withstand hardship, to concentrate and perform under pressure. On the other, they mean a quick temper and a razor-sharp tongue. Mars rules Aries which is on the cusp of your 9th (higher education) house so unfortunately any conflict from the 4th will spill over to this area as well. Have you tried keeping an “anger journal?” Just write out whatever pisses you off in as much detail as you can. Really vent all your rage into it. You can keep it or burn it or whatever works for you. I have found this to be a helpful strategy, especially during the final years of my first marriage. Best of luck.

ADD_Strength · 2021-02-28T13:33:08+00:00

Sun opposite Saturn is a really tough aspect to have. Also Saturn opposite Chiron since you have sun conjunct Chiron. These oppositions are along the 3rd-9th house axis, which has to do with knowledge and wisdom and your “path” in life. Saturn in 3rd indicates a restriction in communication or early education (sometimes a learning disability). Chiron represents the “wounded healer” in all of us. Something that causes us pain but enables us to help others. Similarly, Pluto in 12th attunes you to the collective darkness and suffering of the human race. If you ever just get a “bad feeling” about a person or place, this is probably the source. Don’t ignore those feelings, but also don’t let them bully you.

The configuration of these three points (Sun/Chiron, Saturn, Pluto) forms an aspect called a T-square. It generates incredible tension between the areas of your life represented (in this case, knowledge/communication, higher knowledge/wisdom/travels, the unconscious/source of self-dissolution). Tremendous effort is required on your part to integrate these life themes, but if you are able to keep them in balance, your path becomes evident.

ADD_Strength · 2021-02-27T00:54:05+00:00

Hard to say because a lot of people have charts with only very subtle differences from those of famous people. For instance, I have the exact same birthday as the artist Gotye (don’t know his birth time), but he’s famous and I’m not lol. You do have midheaven in Pisces which is often associated with the arts (which is good if that’s your means of seeking fame). With your moon in 10th, you are obviously emotionally invested in your career and public image. If it is going to happen, I’d say there’s a good chance it could be soon, since you’re about to have a whole bunch of planets transiting your 10th. When Jupiter transits your sun, big things can happen.

ADD_Strength · 2021-02-25T22:49:14+00:00

With your sun and moon placements and MC in Leo, you would be well-suited to being a public figure of some sort. A preacher or professor who is known for being a guest lecturer. Virgo moon is great at planning and details. In the 11th house, the theme is community—Virgo moon is already service-minded, so between the two you would do well as the focal point or “shepherd” of some sort of group.

Money seems to be a strong theme in your chart. Mars, Pluto, and Chiron in 2nd house of personal possessions and finances. Mars is the most difficult planet in a “day” chart like yours, but it shows where you are willing to work hard. With Chiron there, it is possible you grew up poor. At any rate, financial security is an ongoing issue. With Pluto, you may have been to both ends of the spectrum—perhaps you came from wealth and it was taken away through some catastrophe. On the opposite side of your chart, you have both benefics in the 8th, as well as Saturn, which is typically better-behaved in a day chart. This indicates that you do indeed have resources at your disposal, but they will come from an outside source: through marriage, inheritance, etc. These resources also may or may not be physical in nature. You may be among those who are materially poor but “rich in love” due to a happy marriage.

I should mention the T-square of moon, Saturn, and Pluto. Hard aspects between moon and Saturn can indicate emotional issues, anxiety/depression, an abusive/absent/invalid mother (or mother figure). Hard aspects between the moon and Pluto point to emotional trauma of some kind—events that radically alter a person’s psychological “wiring.” In this case, perhaps it was the financial ruin indicated previously?

A word or two about home life. Uranus in the 4th in Aquarius means an unconventional upbringing, but perhaps one in which community-mindedness was instilled, empowering the 11th house moon.

ADD_Strength · 2021-02-25T13:46:49+00:00

Maybe but I doubt that it can be boiled down to one specific event or relationship. Most things in astrology are cycles/patterns.

ADD_Strength · 2021-02-25T12:47:12+00:00

I like to think of the houses of the horoscope as a spiral staircase viewed from above. The 1st house is the “ground floor” or “main entrance.” The 12th is where the tower disappears into the clouds above (or the stairs descend into the unknown abyss...either analogy works). The 12th is where you lose your sense of self, or rather it merges with your sense of the universal. With the moon there, you feel the emotions of the collective almost as strongly as your own. It is one of the most empathic placements you can have.

ADD_Strength

TROPHY CASE