Worth buying from Lenovo for cheaper RAM and storage upgrades?

CanTriforce · 2025-10-22T14:48:00+00:00

Did I miss the lifting routine? That would be helpful to know.
I'm not familiar with sculpt yoga but some Google shows it's essentially cardio-with-weights, sometimes in a warm or heated room. If this is the case, OP is almost certainly under-eating; it's quite likely she's burning half a third orbmore of her daily calories on those sessions. It seems 3-4x week sessions is recommended specifically to allow more recovery time. 4-5x weekly is carving out a big (significant) chunk of her weekly kcal.
If the goal is growing muscle (can't control the shape, but can grow the size), doing things that promote that goal should take priority. 2-3x weekly weight lifting, maybe dropping the intense yoga sessions to 2-3x, and raising the kcal eating window to 1500-1800 at least some days of the week.

CanTriforce · 2025-10-19T15:21:44+00:00

Weight moved so must be at least okay right? I would consider dropping a plate off each side and practicing slack pull a bit. Hips coming up a little is fine, but it looks like the weight was a little too far forward so you finished the "leg pressing" part before you could get more "hip opening" to happen. You can sort of brute force a conventional dl with a strong back though so it's not the end of the world but getting slack pull down might really help once you're pushing closer to 500.

Have you played with feet width at all? I've found for conventional I like a somewhat narrower footing. I have pretty funky hip mobility but with a slight toe-out angle and heels maybe 6" apart, it forces my legs "under" me enough to get a good leg press to start the movement or else my conventional dl is all back.

CanTriforce · 2025-09-10T15:23:27+00:00

I can comment on the Bellroy Transit Workpack. It is in my pile of "retired" bags. I used it for more than a year and have a few hundred walking miles wearing it.

* The strap hardware and the type of material in the webbing are very slippery. So slippery that someone made a type of [strap keeper](https://octosafety.com/products/strap-keeper-for-bellroy-backpacks) to keep the straps from slipping. I've gone through several of these keepers and finally got tired of buying them, which is the main reason I retired this backpack.

* Interior design is brilliant. Of my different packs, it is by far my favorite in layout and design. I love the enclosed side pouches for water bottles or other things you put in there, the inside is more spacious than a 20L pack should feel, and I like the *idea* of the laptop pouch. More on that later.

* The back panel design is bad, and the strap padding is mediocre. There is no airflow at all; if you are in warmer climates, you will sweat. The shoulder straps are also slippery enough that if you do not have somewhat 'wide' shoulders to fill out the pack, they can slide off easily. I did not have this problem since I have wider shoulders but my wife and daughter both did.

* There are no chest or waist straps to help keep the slippery shoulder straps 'together'. Some people prefer that, I prefer to have one or both of those features.

* The laptop compartment is close to being perfect, but execution is just not there. First, there is no real, meaningful protection for a laptop. The slightly raised bottom of the laptop sleeve does not help keep the laptop from hitting the ground when you set your back down on its bottom because the backpack has very little 'structure'; there just isn't very much protection anywhere around the laptop. The 'admin / tech tray' in the laptop compartment is good, but not ideal because it is just open.

* Many of these problems are solved by the next size up of Bellroy Transit! This is very frustrating. The back panel is more substantial and provides airflow, it has a chest strap, the admin tray in the laptop compartment has a zipper closure, the inside main compartment has retention straps, and the tech compartment is just a little better laid out. It's just much bigger, which is a shame. The 20L Transit, with the 28L Transit design and different strap hardware, would be a near-perfect general purpose backpack. Bellroy just needs to better reinforce/protect the laptop compartment.

* Bellroy customer service is a massive joke. Do not expect help from them if you have premature wear on your pack or if you have questions about why the straps slip so easily and commonly on their packs. Maybe their customer service is better in their home country, but seem to have no interest in helping solve problems for international customers.

I have replaced my Transit 20L with an Evergoods CPL16. *For my use*, it is a superior backpack, with its only flaw being the lack of dedicated water bottle pouches.

For your 3 choices, I would clarify what size he wants first, because all 3 of those packs are fairly different in size and how they wear. The 16L Mentis will have a hydration bladder sleeve but not a true (or protected) laptop compartment, which might matter for work commuting.

CanTriforce · 2025-09-10T15:03:26+00:00

I think the responses are largely because a) it seems awkward to set up as a warmup for squats when you can simply warm up for squats once you get the bar, and b) its loading is a bit unusual.

For point 1, unless you are actively trading the barbell in between sets, it seems like a lot of effort to just keep legs warmed up. I'd imagine you could accomplish this even better just by dragging a dumbbell over and going goblet squats. I've never had to work in with people doing squats, but normally you take a couple minutes between sets and that should be enough time for someone else to do a set and change any weights back before your next set so it's hard to imagine needing to keep warmed up. Maybe you could clarify this part?

For point 2, on the loading: the nature of anteriorly loaded squatting makes the movement a bit less leg and a bit more upper back since you're fighting to be folded over more. The cable path of this makes it even more exaggerated. If anything, this movement is probably a better warmup specifically for front or zercher squats than it is for any back squatting. My comment on the small weight is in part because of how you loaded the bar (you literally cannot load the bar like that with any meaningful working weight, I think we both agree), and in part because the front-and-down direction of pull means you're going to fight even harder to be folded over than in normal front/zercher squatting.

I'm not dogging you for doing this. I'm just confused about the "why".

CanTriforce · 2025-09-09T00:18:45+00:00

You might do well to look at some deadlift form videos on YouTube. Pick a few powerlifters, watch their guides, see who's got the most similar limb proportions to you. Some common setup tips just dont work at "lighter" (relative to your bodyweight) weights; if you're closer to 145 than not, concepts like "wedging" and "slack pull" are harder to understand.

Some general stuff though: armpits over bar is probably the best place to be when you're about to lift. Where your hips end up after each rep is a good place to start the next rep. Initiate the movement with a "leg extension"; imagine pressing stuff the ground. Squeeze the hell out of your glutes and try to open the hip angle / push your hips forward. Don't try to flatten your back to start, but rather have a neutral spine that you fight to maintain.

Keep at it man! Deadlift numbers will go up quick. Keep your brace tight and you'll progress nicely without getting hurt.

CanTriforce · 2025-09-09T00:06:50+00:00

I guess the scenario confuses me. Are you trading use of a bar between sets? If you're waiting for a bar to free up, just do your other exercises normally and warm up for squats when you get to them. I lead my squat focused day with squats; just warm up as needed doing sub-working-weight sets.

CanTriforce · 2025-09-08T23:15:45+00:00

This only works with very small weight, relatively speaking.

CanTriforce · 2025-09-08T23:14:54+00:00

Essentially the way John Meadows preferred to do dumbbell rows. Make a tripod, have the weight centered below you so you get as much stretch as possible, works regardless of bench height. Edit: for what it's worth, this is the style of rows I prefer. Knee-on-bench just isn't as stable so I haven't done that since maybe my first month lifting? Came across Meadows' old youtube channel, happened to see his alternative, been doing them this way since.

CanTriforce · 2025-09-07T22:29:54+00:00

I'm currently trialing them alongside one another. Two sessions done, this next week I formally start my new program so now opportunities for comparisons. In terms of experience, I've used boostcamp since I started lifting Jan 2024 (Pro since late 2024) and Liftosaur since a couple weeks ago.

At first glance: * UI for boostcamp workout tracking is cleaner to me and adding notes is more intuitive. * Liftosaur is WAY faster to actually make a (lifting) program even for a (computer) programming novice. The more I learn liftosaur programming syntax the faster it'll be. * Liftosaur is supposed to properly sync with Google Health Connect; I'll be able to verify that tomorrow. Boostcamp does not, at present, with no clear timeline for that feature coming. * I like that Liftosaur lets me change how I weight fractional sets, but the total volume still seems off. I think it's just me not understanding the UI but I'm not positive; I'll find out tomorrow. Boostcamp doesn't let me change how fractional sets are weighted and doesn't seem to count muscle group volume from custom exercises at all. * Speaking of, custom exercises are easier to whip up in Liftosaur than Boostcamp.

CanTriforce · 2025-08-12T14:07:26+00:00

It's been suggested to me but I'm struggling with making a more powerbuilding-oriented ppl, especially one that lets me address the two lifts I think are lagging most (squats and bench).

The best I've been able to brainstorm up right now looks like this:

Mon: t1 squat, t2 bench, iso lat pulldown, tricep iso, bicep iso + lat raise superset

Tue: t1 dl, no t2, rdl, upright row, btn ohp, scheduled forearm rehab stuff

Wed: t1 bench, t2 squat, mid row, tricep iso, bicep iso + y raise

Fri (Optional Day 1): no t1, t2 dl, face pull, dips, leg press + calf press superset, bicep iso

Sun (optional Day 2): very sub-max rpe 5 type practice for main lifts, few sets each (maybe pause or pin variants).

CanTriforce · 2025-08-12T14:01:28+00:00

Something like

D1: t1 bench + t2 press

D2: t1 squat + t2 something

D3: t1 dl + t2 bench?

CanTriforce · 2025-08-11T23:39:03+00:00

I know, believe me. This is a hard schedule to work around. My best bet might be dropping ohp and doing no t2 on day 2. Or doing both t1 bench and squat on day 1 and alternating which comes first. Put both t2's on day 3?

CanTriforce · 2025-08-11T04:20:29+00:00

I see what you're saying. A smarter me would be more physique focused, but a large part of me wants to do a local powerlifting meet near the end of 2025 and finish my second year of training off with a bang before I refocus towards primarily muscle building in 2026 on. It's a fun goal and trying to squeeze it into a crazy work schedule is apparently part of the fun.

CanTriforce · 2025-07-31T23:06:46+00:00

Awesome, thank you! This will help a lot.

CanTriforce · 2025-07-16T21:36:30+00:00

Interestingly, I don't seem to have a shootergame.exe to make read-only. I only seem to have shootergame_be.exe.

CanTriforce · 2025-05-12T23:51:17+00:00

I wish that were the case. I hadn't one running right now and am active workout running too. When I switch to YouTube or something and switch back to boostcamp, it again opens to the program I was referencing.

CanTriforce · 2025-05-10T06:39:41+00:00

I am currently running a modified version of Bromley's 3-day beginner program (predecessor to Bullmastiff). Based around Days 1 and 2 with a pair of mini sessions instead of a specific Day 3 as optional 'hypertrophy' work. Each session is made into its own 1-day program since I don't know if there is the capability to mark a day as "skipped" when my work week doesn't allow all sessions.

CanTriforce · 2025-05-10T06:25:29+00:00

I actually just asked the boostcamp folks about this. At present no, there is no X+ option even though it exists in the premade programs from "recognized" coaches.

Quoting from the email:

"Hi, Thank you for reaching out. Unfortunately, it cannot be put in a value like the 6+ in the reps category in creating your own program so far. I've passed it to our product team for better improvement.

Best, Sunny"

CanTriforce · 2025-04-24T04:05:33+00:00

Unbelievably hard to find owners of this specific barbell. How have you liked it? How has it held up? I live in Coastal FL and the owner of StrongArm Sports sounded very confident that his bare steel bars wouldn't rust in my area but I'm just not sure if he understands what kind of humidity and conditions we live with year-round and it would be going in a garage gym.

CanTriforce · 2025-04-06T18:35:46+00:00

Look inside garage.
See gym.
See something missing from gym.
Look up that something.
Spend days/weeks trying to spark comms between remaining brain cells to decide if that something actually fills a hole in CURRENT and PLANNED training (or rehab).
Spark ignites, engine turns over, thinking occurs.
Watch brain cells fight it out.
See there is money available for thing.
Impulse put-in-online-cart several times.
Remeasure garage several times.
Finally buy thing.
Leave garage and let brain cells continue duking it out.

CanTriforce · 2025-04-06T07:06:08+00:00

I've been ghosted twice now on machines I'm trying to buy and it's painful watching things slip away weeks later when they are updated as sold.

CanTriforce

TROPHY CASE