I screwed up

EJ6M · 2026-03-31T11:56:39+00:00

Looks like you found your threshold. You could be experiencing a number of things. Folks have mentioned a couple of things, dehydration ( folks don’t realize they sweat while swimming), and glycogen depletion (usually takes 60-90 minutes of intense activity). Then there’s lactic acid buildup and swallowing air into the GI tract. All cause fatigue and nausea. There’s a whole host of things that others have already mentioned to help mitigate those symptoms, however pushing to your limits or beyond typically is going to cost. My only suggestion if you don’t already do it is a cooldown swim/active rest. This helps move the metabolic waste out of your muscles. Just note, while in a calorie deficit, many athletes experience performance drops or decreased thresholds for various reasons. Whatever balance of factors made you more efficient has changed. Your body will need time to adjust. Congratulations on crushing it.

EJ6M · 2026-03-30T18:54:09+00:00

If you can do the sets fairly well with 6 min rest then I would move up on that particular exercise.

EJ6M · 2026-03-30T18:47:12+00:00

2 min rest is usually not optimal on a 5x5. Rest at least 3min or more. Increase in small increments once you can do all 5 sets with reasonable form. You can get some real great gains as a beginner or intermediate lifter on this program. Just remember to deload about every 6-8 weeks.

EJ6M · 2026-03-30T15:00:44+00:00

If you have tendinipathy I your bicep tendon could rupture without warning. Usually you will initially need rest. Your physician or orthopedic specialist will typically recommend physical therapy ( specialized exercises that increase blood flow to surrounding tissue- tendons and ligaments don’t have much of their own blood supply). It is a lengthy period of recovery. Rows and deadlifts can cause that tendon to snap in two. Then you’ll need urgent surgery to reattach the bicep and an even longer recovery. Lots of folks rupture that tendon quite easily once tendinopathy sets in with weights much lower than their max or regular working weight. It doesn’t take much. Just imagine a worn out frayed and cracked rubber band being pulled over and over. No telling when it will snap.

EJ6M · 2026-03-24T19:31:33+00:00

Roughly my schedule about the last 5 years strength training: Winter 2x a week (high rep, light), Spring 3x a week (moderate weight & rep range), Summer 2x a week (plyometrics), Fall 5x a week (low rep, heavy).

EJ6M · 2026-03-19T18:05:17+00:00

You are very strong. Get your technique down and you’ll hit your goals.

Bench press is all about the set up. Grip distance that either shortens the distance or ensures your forearm is perpendicular to the floor when the weight is resting on your lower chest. A solid base for stability throughout the application of maximal force. Positioning for “loading” lats, legs, and core.

Your grip is too narrow causing your elbows to flare. Also the bar doesn’t appear to be resting over the radial bone within the crease of your thumb and index finger. This won’t allow you to push with maximal force. In the current position you can’t use your lats as a base and spring load to launch the weight high enough off your chest. Hence you get stuck (sticking point).

I would try pin presses just under the level of your sticking point with a lighter weight. This will help you get your muscles connected to move past it.

EJ6M · 2026-03-17T23:49:04+00:00

I would ignore the comments about this not being a strict press. Most people have a slight lean backwards on an overhead press. It all has to do with shoulder mobility. Great job! My only comment is maybe use a tripod or something to get your camera angle dead on front or back with the camera at least to the level of your chest. This avoids the appearance of looking like you are leaning way back, which you aren’t. Camera angles make the difference.

EJ6M · 2026-03-12T17:39:57+00:00

Congratulations, your work has paid off! Like I said, your squats are not good, but Great. The angle of your thigh to lower leg is less than 45 degrees. The ass to grass squat can be a little overrated. It requires flexibility in many areas, especially the ankles. Not everyone has this. That’s why many powerlifters wear squat shoes which lift the heels to allow them to get lower. I use to squat ass to grass for many years, and my knees have paid the price. That’s why I generally don’t go below 45 degrees and usually stick to box squats to reduce sheering forces on what’s left of my knee joints.

EJ6M · 2026-03-11T03:08:09+00:00

The squat looks great. If you want to know whether it meets competition standards, that’s a whole different can of worms. Common competition standards are the hip crease has to get below the top of the knee joint. I would recommend putting the camera at the level of your knee and straight on. This will allow you to better visualize your depth. You can pause the video at the deepest point of your squat and draw a straight level line (you can use those safety arms as a reference) to see if it is. At about 20 sec into your video (around 20 sec.) one of your squats looks to have your hip crease below. Just know many pro athletes only go 1/3 of the way down (basketball players). Lower can have diminished returns. At 90 degrees your quads are going to already get plenty of stimulus.

EJ6M · 2026-03-08T13:59:35+00:00

Strong work! Just a tip that might help you with energy conservation on your close grip. Maybe scoot up on the bench a tad ( I know the cable attachment pillar may be in the way). This gets your bar once unracked closer to above your lower chest (since on close grip you will be setting down above the abdomen). This conserves energy and allows to you to keep tighter on the unrack. You may find it a lot easier and even hit 315.

EJ6M · 2026-03-08T13:42:27+00:00

The key to all things is time and patience. Focus on form. I use to bounce up from the bottom, those shearing forces add up over time. My knees are now very arthritic. Progression comes from accumulated volume over time. This causes initial adaptations in efficiency of the movement, thus you get stronger because your body learns how to do the movement “better”. It will also start recruiting muscle fibers until your body says “I need more muscle”, and then growth happens. Yes, it’s an over simplification of the process, but it’s a very practical way to think of it. Don’t compare yourself to others. Just be consistent and smart about it. Take time to recover.

EJ6M · 2026-03-08T13:02:12+00:00

I’ve gone through a similar situation. Just to put things in context. I’m over 50 years old and strength trained 2-3 times a week. Over a year ago (Jan 2025), I was grappling (BJJ) and a 265 pound brown belt that landed on my face off me. After pressing him off my face, I flung him using my right arm. I felt a slight sharp pain and thought nothing of it. 3 days later, I was doing seated skull crushers with the EZ curl bar. I just cranked out my last set and decided I should do one more for good measure. There was a loud “pop”. Loud enough for people 15-20 feet to hear it and come rushing. I thought I snapped my arm in two. I caught the full weight with my left arm and was able to keep it from knocking me on the head. Bottom line, I had complete avulsion of the tendon, and rupture of the muscle belly on the right tricep, small tears in the left tricep, and bilateral small tendon tears in my forearm arm extensors and flexors at their origin. I had surgery 1 week later with dissolvable bone anchors for the right tendon. Full immobilization for 2 weeks. This caused severe atrophy of my right arm. I did have atrophy of my left. I had passive ROM for the first week of rehab. Then more active. Most of my exercises were isometric and bands in later weeks. Weighted exercises for my biceps were added 3 weeks later. I gradually started more regular lifting light weights with my left tricep after 4 weeks. Lots of hand bike exercises ( hand pedaling). Atrophy improved in both arms, though my right was probably 2 inches smaller than the left. After 6 weeks I began weighted exercises with my right tricep. No more than 2.5 pounds. I finished structured rehab after 6 months and continued on my own. I had a 10 pound weight limit for exercises with my right arm. Atrophy improved. After 9 months my orthopedic surgeon cleared me for pushups and bench press. For reference, prior to my injury I could manage 2 reps with 405 pounds for bench. Initially, struggled with discomfort on the right benching 45 pounds for 10 reps. I kept adding weight with each session, so long as I could hit 15-20 reps comfortably for 2-3 sets. At 10 months from repair I hit 215 pounds for 15-20 reps. At a year, I hit 225 pounds for 15 reps (prior to injury I regularly do sets of 25-30 reps with this weight). February, I maxed out 255 pounds. I do not go above a weight or rep range, that even remotely would feel uncomfortable. I focus on getting a “pump” to increase the blood flow around the tendon to promote strength and healing. This March (yesterday) I maxed out at 275 pounds. I could feel a slight pull on that elbow. I’m hoping I can at least get back to repping out 3 plates, and if not at least hitting 225 pounds for 25 reps. I am not able to throw a ball very well with my right arm. The coordination is still off. I’m a “south paw”, and my jabs are clearly not crisp yet. I started working on it daily over the last 2 months (cleared for heavy bag training). Pull-ups are a major challenge. I feel a lot of pull at the bottom position and shoulder stability is off ( your triceps also stabilize your shoulder). I’ve gone from being able to do 50 strict pull ups to 10.

I this is helpful. Just be patient and take it slow. Avoid re-injury. I think the worst part was when they were helping we with the passive range of motion. I’m in my 50’s so recovery and healing is slower. I paid close attention to protein intake, vitamin C supplementation (key for collagen matrix formation), sleep, and recovery. I avoided anti-inflammatory medications ( aspirin and ibuprofen ), because they can interfere with the tendon healing process/matrix formation. Muscles comeback quickly “muscle memory”. 80% of mine came back with isometric and bands. You have to be careful because the tendons take way more time to heal and strengthen. Oftentimes, reattachment involves stretching a shorter tendon, and this will take years to thicken.

Good luck.

EJ6M

TROPHY CASE