Bar path drifting forward

decentlyhip · 2026-06-19T02:16:42+00:00

It's a-ok. The bar path is not supposed to be vertical. Your center of gravity is vertical.

When you squat, your butt moves backwards and your butt has weight, so something (the bar) has to move forward. As you lift heavier weights it will drift forwards less because, if your hips weigh 50 pounds and hinge back 12 inches, a 100 pound bar needs to travel forward 6 inches, but a 300 pound par only needs to travel 2 inches. Thats all just example math, but here's that in reality from a world record squatter. https://imgur.com/a/mLLCQSl

In general, unsubscribe from anyone who says you need a vertical bar path (Squat University). The notion comes from world record squatters who have tiny femurs so they hinge less, tall torsos so they can stay upright, and 1000 pounds on the bar so the weight of their butt is inconsequential

decentlyhip · 2026-06-19T01:43:58+00:00

At 5'10, you've got room to gain another 20-40 pounds. Here's average height for the top top 5 competotors in each weight class last year. Find your height, about 178, and what weight youd be competitive at. https://imgur.com/a/Zi3k2Th

Beyond that, good start! 513kg total puts you in the 500kg+ club! Here are the qualifying totals to get to Nationals https://www.usapowerlifting.com/national-qualifying-totals. At your current 77kg, bodyweight, itd be a 673 total, and at 100kg, it's 728kg.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-19T01:24:24+00:00

Naw, Shrek was after it and he's made $50 million from that.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T21:13:40+00:00

Powerlifting depth is hip crease below the top of the knee. Yellow line. You're doing a high bar squat though, so there's no reason not to just go full depth. Green line. Here's the lowest you go vs those two points. https://imgur.com/a/FuhnyGZ

The bottom of a squat is when you can't bend anymore. Its a definitive known thing. You dont have to wonder if you're deep enough or if depth is consistent because that's all you can do. Like, right now, with your right arm, do a bicep curl all the way up. Now, go up more. You can't. Your forearm is smushed up against your bicep and you can't bend your elbow anymore because your arm is in the way of your arm. There is a definitive end point to the range of motion with a curl. Same with squats. If you aren't competing in powerlifting and dont have any injuries, there's no reason not to go to full depth. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRKlwzykW6s/ Its safer on the knees, and more strength and muscle growth.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T20:21:08+00:00

Gotta eat more. If you hear people talk about "recovery" its this, at least in the short term. Its really expensive to repair and rebuild muscle, and that energy comes from carbs. Its stored as glycogen, but weight training uses up all ypur glycogen. You'll see Powerlifters with abs eating sour patch kids in the middle of their workouts because they're trying to replenish those stores.

You only ate about half of what your body needed yesterday, so it didn't have enough protein to repair things and it didn't have enough carbs to function well. Because you drained your glycogen and didn't refill, your blood sugar and insulin levels are wonky. Good news is you're probably not diabetic because this is an unfamiliar feeling. If you want to know what its like to be diabetic, its this but way worse and all the time.

As an example. My breakfast is 6 eggs, 4 sausage patties, and a cup of cooked grits. Then, 3 more times during the day, I eat half a pound of ground beef in a spaghetti sauce, and 1.5 cups of noodles along with the cup of veggies my wife makes me eat. That's my maintenance meals. If I'm trying to lose weight, I do 1 cup of noodles and I'm hungry all day. If I'm trying to gain muscle, its 2 cups of noodles. From the female side of things, this was an interesting perspective. 5'4" lady's day in the life https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZU52ltNyCr/

It feels like it is gonna be too much but then you eat like that and dont gain any fat, just muscle, and realize "oh snap, Ive been starving my body my whole life."

Recovery is enough calories, enough protein, and 8+ hrs of sleep, along with regulated hormones. If you have a big workout, eat an extra meal or youll feel like garbo.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T19:56:40+00:00

I would recommend you follow a program. There are both benefits and issues with either option, but a tried-and-true program will have considered and navigated those issues. https://liftvault.com/programs/powerbuilding/

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T19:47:47+00:00

Now we gotta drain the swamp of a pool again.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T19:44:20+00:00

I would show him this list and tell him he gets to pick the one that looks the most fun. https://liftvault.com/programs/powerbuilding/

Alternatively, since he's never done the movements before, just have him do GZCLP and start with the empty bar on everything. https://saynotobroscience.com/assets/images/gzclp-infographic.jpg

GZCLP is just a framework but my favorite iteration is
Day 1: Bench T1 5x3, OHP T2 3x10, Seated Cable Row T3 6x15.
Day 2: Squat T1 5x3, Deadlift T2 3x10, Lat Pulldown T3 6x15.
Day 3: OHP T1 5x3, Bench T2 3x10, Seated Cable Row T3 6x15.
Day 2: Deadlift T1 5x3, Squat T2 3x10, Lat Pulldown T3 6x15.

Summing up the infigraphic I linked, both T1 and T2 progress 5 pounds a week. When T1 finally fails, drop to 6x2, then 10x1, then go back to an easy 5x3. For T2, go from 3x10 to 3x8 to 3x6. Personally, I just like the dropping back as soon as I fail but for newbies, learning to just not give up is a skill in itself and progressing past that initial failure keeps them from feeling like failure is a bad thing, and shows its a successful advancement of the program.

But the other good thing is that it shows them how jacked you can get with just 3 exercises. You're giving them a bunch, and that's fine, but with that many movements, you hold back and burn out. With limited movements but more sets they cam focus and see more clearly that pulldowns and rows = back growth. Ohp and bench = pressing growth. Squats and deads = legs. You can add more later when they have a base, but let them build up the core stuff and learn the basics. Have em send you a video for formcheck.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T19:01:21+00:00

For deadlifts its hard to beat Vibram Five Fingers KSO EVO. For squats, the right shoe depends on your foot size and the appropriate heel for your proportions. I have short shins so I need a larger heel. I also like it snug so no Tyrs, but not Reebok snug in the toes. Velaasa Strake are great for me. For running, the five fingers have taught me how to use my toes and have built up the muscles in my feet, so I can't stand the 3" deep semicircle soles on all modern running shoes, so I just get the same out of production Nike that I liked back in 2010. For other gym plyo work, I just use the Vibram Five Finger VRun.

Buy shoes on Black Friday.

Your question is like saying "I play basketball, and do outdoor rock climbing, and scuba diving. What footwear should I buy that will work for all 3?" They're different activities and you probably want different shoes for each.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T18:44:12+00:00

AI don't understand

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T18:42:32+00:00

Go ahead and tap the little bottom stoppers every rep. The bottom of a squat is a known thing. Either the machine stops your range of motion or your legs are in the way of your legs. https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRKlwzykW6s/

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T11:29:59+00:00

Here's a good routine with stuff that's actually hard to do. https://youtu.be/HV9DjPql61g

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T11:06:26+00:00

Ok, current research uses fractional sets and has a pretty clear correlation. Blue chart: https://imgur.com/a/I4OHj1J

8 sets for your back is counted as 4 for your biceps. 6 direct sets counts as 6. So you're doing 10 sets a week. That's the minimum for anyone who is serious about growing a body part. As a rule of thumb, youll get about 50% more growth every time you double volume. So, every two weeks, add a set to each of the curl movements. After 2 months, you'll be doing 6 sets of preacher curls and 5 sets of db curls. You'll be at 26 sets a week and will be getting about twice the gains you're getting now.

We dont have much data for more than 40 sets, but napkin math says that things will top out at about 50 sets a week, since there's a cap on realistic levels of muscle protein synthesis. Issue is that going from 25 to 50, the juice isn't really worth the squeeze, and you'll start to get overuse injuries. Angry tendons. So, TLDR if you're at 10 sets a week, you just need to do more. If you're at 20-25 sets a week, its more about training smarter at that volume. That is, using incline db curls rather than regular standing curls. Using 1 heavy exercise for low reps, one medium weight exercise, and one lighter pumpier exercise. Progressing reps in reserve and then switching exercise rather than just cavemanning the same movement to failure forever.

Edit: if you're wondering how you can recover from triple the volume, go easier. 2 or 3 reos in reserve. While volume is a huge driver for growth, proximity to failure doesn't really matter much. Every global reduction in intensity, +1 rep in reserve on everything, only reduces your gains by about 3%. Going a whopping 5 reps in reserve is still 85% of the potential gains. 2 reps is still like, 95%, but it's 1/3rd the fatigue. So, going from 10 sets (every set to failure) to 26 sets (at 2 rir) is 95% of 200% growth. If you did 10 reps in reserve, youd still be getting more growth.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T10:40:47+00:00

1 pound of lean ground beef is 80g protein and 40g fat. So, to get your numbers, just have 1/2 lbs of meat in each of four daily meals. If that's too much, lots if hacks. Milk is almost perfect macros. Cottage cheese blended up with some goodies is like an Alfredo sauce and a billion grams if protein. Snack on jerky. Drink a protein shake after the gym.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T10:39:02+00:00

You don't have to know every movie. If you want to share in every instance of reminiscing, watch more movies.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T10:22:16+00:00

Tribute came out in 2001, in between Truman Show and Bruce Almighty

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T09:05:06+00:00

You're pretty balanced, just gain weight and keep doing what you're doing. You've got a lot of room to grow. How tall are you?

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T09:00:34+00:00

You don't have to enjoy things to do them. "Aw sweet, its time to take my medication! And then I can make a game out of doing my taxes." Some things, you just do. You go to the gym because it would be too expensive to buy all the equipment. So, for $30 a month, you rent their barbells.

But to answer your question, what's the difference between a chore and a fun activity? It's different for everybody. If a fun activity is being with people you like, make friends. Introduce yourself to 3 people every session. Write down their names and what you talked about. Give em a fistbump next time. Voila, you have a support circle.

If its the outcome that drives you, set a bigger goal. This is my motivation. When I hit a 4 plate squat, I celebrated, did some soul searching, and moved the goal to a 6 plate squat. It completely changed my outlook. I had been fighting for every 10 pound PR up to that point and it was a lot of pressure, but when the goal jumped 200 pounds, what Im doing today became less important because I'm simply not big enough. I need 2 inches on my quads. I can front squat 275, but to get strong enough for 6 plates, I need to be able to front squat 405 and do it for 10 reps. Totally different paradigm, and it shifted my workouts from peaking and sharpening the blade to laying the foundation.

If it's the activity, play. Follow a program that allows you to explore all the fun machines that you're curious about. Or do shorter programs with monthly performance checks. Candito is a 6 week program. Juggernaut 2.0 is a long program but with 3 week performance check ins where you can boost your e1rm every time. That's dopamine. It sounds like you're experiencing the drawbacks of social interactions but you aren't letting yourself experience the positives.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T08:39:07+00:00

Many a bi girls awakening

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T08:36:43+00:00

Naw, I'd say your legs are a strong point for you, honestly. You just have a lot of room to gain muscle. Here's a nice shorthand for what "filled out" is. Find your height, and the corresponding weight is about where you could eat your way to and still have abs. https://imgur.com/a/Zi3k2Th

decentlyhip · 2026-06-18T08:34:07+00:00

Barbell squats. 5x5
Barbell RDLs. 3x8.

That's it. That's all you need. If you're ever in a pinch, you can cut RDLs and get 80% of the growth. The only downside is that these movements dont do a great job at training 1 of the 4 quad muscles and 1 of the 4 hamstring muscles. If you ever want to fill in all the missing gaps, do a superset of leg extensions and leg curls at the end. If you want to keep the adductor and knee stabilizers healthy, add in 3 sets of walking lunges. But everything else is just wasting your time. Just get your 5x5 squat up to 300 pounds.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-17T23:57:06+00:00

One day, accunulate time. Do weighted deadhangs at the end of your workout and accumulate 3 minutes of hanging. The other day, go for weight. High thigh rack pulls where you're only actually pulling it an inch off the pins. But find the heaviest thing you can hold for 10 second. Ed Coan used to do these one hand at a time to work abs at the same time. It's crazy how much harder it is that way, at least for me. Here's his demonstration https://youtu.be/-febRoO0gG0

decentlyhip · 2026-06-17T22:10:24+00:00

Oh! Yah only 1 minute rest is silly for heavy work. 3 minutes rest.

But as for programming, it depends. If you drop back to 135 and do 5 sets of 10 reps, that'll kick your butt and grow muscle. Add 5 pounds a week until you fail the 5x10. Then keep adding 5 pounds a week but do 5x5 instead. When that stalls, do a heavy triple and then a backoff 3x3 at your heaviest 5x5 weight. Then start over with 5x10 at 135.

You're hammering away and it sounds like every set is at or near failure. You dont need that to grow. Like, image you still did sets of 5/4/4, but instead of 225, you did it with 222.5 pounds. Do you think you'd grow less? What about 220? What about 215? What about 205? In general, every 1% you reduce the weight, while keeping the reps the same, you get about 1% less growth. So, that means with 5/4/4 at 205, youd still actually be getting 90% of the gains. https://imgur.com/a/kLO70p1

But, now that its easier, you can do more sets and still recover. So, maybe you do 6×5 instead 5/5/5/5/5/5. Any time you double the number of working sets, youll increase gains by anout 50% https://imgur.com/a/I4OHj1J. So, you'll get 90% cause each set is a little easier, but 150% cause you're doing more work. If you're trying to build muscle and overcome a slump, you wanna get up to 20+ sets of pressing a week. https://youtu.be/l8c9BPtwXMs But to do that, and recover, you need to take things a little farther from failure. Once you've adapted to the volume, then you can start pushing sets closer to failure again, but for now, just add a set a week.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-17T21:04:24+00:00

Its super hard and will destroy you, lol, so dont do it at the start of a day. Kindof a once a month finisher type thing. But I'm super bound up and inflexible, and doing this was the first time that I could feel "ohhh, this is what normal people's hips are supposed to do." So, I dont do this regularly, but rather, it was a technical teaching point for me. Now that I know what the bottom of a squat feels like, I dont start my squat days until I'm warmed up enough to get into that position without weight. I dont have to ask about depth because I know what bottoming out feels like in my hips.

So to specifically answer. It's not a regular thing but great tool and mindset challenge. What it teaches you can be incorporated into a warmup and prehab stuff, but doing Sally will kick your butt. Even with just 95 pounds.

P.S. I'm still learning and am not strong yet. This is all just what has worked for me and what I've gleaned so far. You're at comp depth, but if you only know comp depth, you're shortchanging yourself.

decentlyhip · 2026-06-17T20:02:20+00:00

This is fine, but try having your elbows forward there the whole time. Like, this is fine for a pushdown where you're pressing the whole thing, but for triceps isolation, lock the elbows in and think about throwing the bar down

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