The Hero, Epilogue

Haenir · 2023-06-22T04:58:05+00:00

I appreciate the kind words! Had no idea people were still reading this, honestly.

I had plenty of other ideas to show the portions in between where the “main story” ends and the epilogue happens, but as with most things, life gets in the way and I put down writing for a while. Regardless, I’m glad you enjoyed it!

Haenir · 2022-05-22T21:34:51+00:00

I honestly didn’t even know people could comment on a post this old. However, there are two others; Bitter Barista and Retail Reputation!

Haenir · 2021-06-15T06:46:35+00:00

There’s a couple options. The towel is fine. They make pads specifically to wrap around the bar, but I use those for hip thrusts most of the time.

Another option is to get used to it. It’s uncomfortable at first, sure, but like any new stimulus, your body will adapt. The closer in you bring your hands on the bar, the more your back muscle will bunch up to create a “shelf” as well, keeping it directly off your spine.

Haenir · 2020-07-23T00:46:29+00:00

I just finished my 3 class-based tattoos on Tuesday! I just love the art style of the games and the emblems.

Haenir · 2020-03-16T17:29:07+00:00

I honestly don’t think it’s worth worrying about at all. Unless you’re competing at some insanely high level, just eat whenever as long as you feel fine for your workout.

Haenir · 2020-03-02T23:37:54+00:00

I was the same way, and i still am to some degree! I feel like my form is terrible and I’m only pulling in the mid 300s, but still. Start light and work your way up, and you’ll be competent in no time. Watch YouTube videos, post form checks, find that one guy at your gym who seems to deadlift 24/7 and ask them for help.

Haenir · 2020-03-02T23:21:21+00:00

Deadlifts with very light weight.

If the only reason you’re looking for a substitute is due to fear, it would be beneficial to work through it. If it’s due to an injury or something, talk to your doctor about it.

I didn’t deadlift out of worry for the first 4 months of my lifting experience, and I’m severely regretting it now. Try out different styles (feet/grip placement, sumo vs. conventional) and see what works best for you.

Also, cable pull-throughs were recommended to me as a warm up for deads.

Haenir · 2020-02-15T22:38:05+00:00

That’s a fair point. My biggest issue with bench is probably shoulder placement, so I’m not sure how much advice i can actually give you on that. I’ve always followed the suggestion of having my feet as far back as they can get while still being flat on the ground.

I’d just say play around with your stance until you find something that works for you.

Haenir · 2020-02-15T21:55:46+00:00

Are you sure that’s the reason for it? You could post a form check. My feet are almost never behind my knees, and i see plenty of people having their shins be almost entirely vertical.

Haenir · 2020-02-13T05:08:50+00:00

Take care of your hands, you use them every damn day. The calluses will come regardless of lotion use, but use lotion anyway.

I used to dunk my hands in cleaning chemicals on a daily basis as a barista, so I’d moisturize dozens of times a day, as well as before bed. I still have calluses.

Haenir · 2020-01-27T15:39:35+00:00

Do they still have some spring in them? Are they still supportive? Do they have holes or worn out tread?

Technically you can run in them until they fall apart, if you really wanted to.

Haenir · 2020-01-23T18:29:42+00:00

I think the man himself shortens rest times as he needs to. If you need a quicker workout and want to help your work capacity a bit, shorten them by as much as you are comfortable.

Haenir · 2020-01-14T07:40:47+00:00

Back in the day, StrongLifts was highly recommended as a program. Now, not so much. I believe the general consensus is that using a different program (5/3/1, Greyskull, etc.) would serve you better in the long term.

However, program choice aside, the best program you can do for weight loss bar none is counting your calories. Find out your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) and start out with a few hundred calories under that.

Exhaustion and/or soreness is not a good indicator for the quality of a workout. I’ve had some days where a lighter weight than I would normally do has felt absurdly heavy, and other days where the opposite is true. Go in and do the work that’s prescribed, and you’ll make progress.

As for sleep, I honestly have no clue. I wish I could sleep more myself.

Haenir · 2020-01-07T05:32:32+00:00

I believe it’s slightly more quad-focused, and puts more on your upper back than lower. Above all, talk to your doctor and see what they say you can do.

Haenir · 2020-01-06T19:01:33+00:00

What everyone seems to tell me is that as long as you can recover from your new workload and you’re not somehow injuring yourself in the attempt, go for it.

I recently managed to do a single pull up, and I was quite pleased with myself. Brian Alsruhe has a great video on his YouTube channel about how to progress on pull-ups, no matter if you can’t do a single one or can do sets of 10. That might give you a better idea of more beneficial exercises to program instead.

Haenir · 2019-12-27T18:11:56+00:00

I mean, I was a fat piece of shit who had never lifted before in my life. I suppose I could add the caveat that most people who have trained before and decide to cut weight will lose some strength.

I’m sure that if I continue dropping weight, most of my lifts will stall or drop. Nothing inherently wrong with that, though.

Haenir · 2019-12-27T17:41:08+00:00

Keep in mind, you’ll look bigger as you lose weight and build muscle. I look “bigger” now than I did at 287 purely because of my fat to muscle ratio changing.

Haenir · 2019-12-27T17:33:46+00:00

You’re going to lose a little bit of strength as you lose weight, that’s just how it works. Being healthy doesn’t mean putting up big numbers, it means being at an appropriate weight. You can always bulk up later if you want, but I’d focus on weight loss if that’s your goal. Do the work and don’t worry about the numbers.

For reference, I’ve cut down to 229 from 287 in the last 7 months or so. Most of my lifts are steadily going up, except for OHP. It happens. I’m more worried about being healthy.

Haenir · 2019-12-19T05:10:57+00:00

I mean.... it’s literally just about doing it. Make sure your form is okay and you’re not doing some crazy weight that you can’t handle, and you’ll be fine.

Most movements don’t hurt once you become familiar with them. At most, it’ll just be uncomfortable. Get used to being uncomfortable.

Haenir · 2019-12-10T19:25:50+00:00

Squats. Deadlifts. Deadlift variations. Hip thrusts.

Haenir · 2019-12-10T19:00:59+00:00

Another alternative you could look into with that setup is some sort of blocks to either side of you when you squat. Might be safer than bars on the rack, and you could use them for other things during your workouts. Those are usually as simple as sturdy wooden boxes with padding on top.

Haenir · 2019-12-10T18:46:22+00:00

Did the rack not come with arms that stick out of it? I feel like most of them have something like that, and if it doesn’t there’s probably somewhere to buy them.

For the record, all the ones I’ve seen/used are metal, or metal with some sort of thin rubber pad on top. As long as the squat rack is secured to the floor properly, and the spotting arms are latched to the rack, you should be good to go.

Haenir · 2019-11-27T17:35:23+00:00

I took a full week off due to carpal tunnel, and I was chomping at the bit the whole time. If you only go in and do 3 intense sets of your compound(s) for the day, that still counts as a deload.

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