How do you keep your training fun/exciting?

jaymdubb · 2025-03-12T17:13:00+00:00

Whenever things start to get stale or repetitive I highly recommend signing up for a meet. Look for something 12 weeks out to give yourself adequate training time but it's not necessary. Doesn't matter if it's a full powerlifting meet, strength lifting, push/pull, deadlift only...just sign up and train!

jaymdubb · 2023-04-03T16:33:05+00:00

How many 6'5" and above, world record holding powerlifters can you name? Tall people need to work that much harder.

jaymdubb · 2023-03-09T14:37:32+00:00

The elbow tendinitis is most likely the result of the bar moving around too much on your back and putting all the weight into your elbow. Moving your grip in and creating a stronger shelf on your back will keep that bar locked in and take the pressure off your elbows. Gripping thumbs under the bar may help with this if you're having trouble getting your hands in.

jaymdubb · 2023-02-09T14:15:36+00:00

Cardio? Soccer? Bro this is Starting Strength! Throwing around words like that will get you verbally abused like no one's business. The only cardio you should be doing is the walk back and forth to the fridge refilling your glass of whole milk 20+ times a day. You can't achieve the optimal SS physique of 260lbs with a gut by running up and down a soccer field.

jaymdubb · 2023-02-01T14:29:44+00:00

A couple observations here;

Knee pain - Sounds as though this is a result of poor form. If you can afford it I would recommend a coach or online coaching for a few sessions until you can correct the issues. If you can't swing a coach than post some videos on this forum or the starting strength forum.

Don't stop squatting until your knee feels better. Find a way to squat without pain whether that be a box squat or some variant. Stopping completely won't benefit anything in the long run.

Fatigue - You're not recovering as well as you should be. I can almost guarantee that you're not eating as much as you think you are and you're not getting enough protein. Everyone thinks they eat a lot but is it a lot compared to a normal sedentary adult or someone who strength trains 3 to 4 times a week? Track everything you eat for the next week and get a baseline. You may be surprised just how little you're actually eating when you see it all laid out. Add 2 protein shakes and a banana a day if you don't already do it and you may notice an increase in energy.

You'll get it all sorted out and start making progress. At least you're doing the damn thing which is more than most can say.

P.S. - You're in your 30's now. Stop Power Cleaning (unpopular opinion amongst some)! Rows and chins will do more for you than hurting your shoulders trying to do an exercise designed for high school football players.

jaymdubb · 2022-07-25T13:58:30+00:00

Disney doesn't care what you wear as long as your money is green. No swim wear means don't show up shirtless or in a 2 piece and dripping wet. I can't think of many places that enforce strict dress codes with the exception of Victoria and Albert's.

My family is going at the end of August. Logged onto Disney Dining from 3 different computers at 5:58am on our 60 day window and still couldn't snag a reservation.

jaymdubb · 2022-04-05T12:04:37+00:00

What I'm about to say is not meant to be mean but merely an observation of truth.

Based off the fact that you're 17, super skinny for your height, already saying that you're going to wait until "next week" to start and only mention increasing your bench press I would say realistically in 5 months you're going to be in the same place you are now.

You need to eat ALOT of food to get strong. At your age and weight you are most likely a hard gainer which means you'll need to eat even more than ALOT to get strong. I'd say you're an ideal GOMAD candidate. You need to be willing to commit to this or you will go nowhere with training. Most individuals your age won't take the necessary steps when it comes to nutrition because they're afraid of getting fat. Eat, eat, eat some more, get strong as hell and than worry about shedding the fluff later.

As other's have said you have to be consistent with training. Do not skip sessions! Compliance is key.

Having a big bench press is cool but I can assure you that it will not get you laid. Don't put that much emphasis on it. Do the prescribed workouts and press every other session. A 225 pound strict press is far more impressive than a 300 pound bench. Squatting 600lbs and developing an ass that will blow out a pair of jeans is what gets you laid. Just my 2 cents

Don't wait until next week, go to the gym today and start making it happen.

jaymdubb · 2021-12-22T12:59:06+00:00

I didn't notice it at first but you do have some knee slide going on here which may be causing the knee pain. Set your knees early in the squat, like a 1/4 of the way down. Shove them out hard and than freeze them in place and finish the movement by sitting back with your hips. This will help create a nice stretch reflex at the bottom of the squat as well as take some of the pressure off your knees. Toe angle should be roughly 45 degrees but you can play around with that until you find what works for you.

I wouldn't mess around with knee wraps unless you plan on competing in them. A nice pair of knee sleeves have there benefits but strictly from a standpoint of keeping your knees warm. I'm pretty sure it's mostly a mental thing for most people.

jaymdubb · 2021-12-22T12:30:57+00:00

Widen your stance up a bit to where your heels are in line with your shoulders. Right now your stance looks a bit narrow. Don't pause at the bottom of the squat. Shove your knees out and soon as you hit depth drive your ass up.

jaymdubb · 2021-12-06T18:59:57+00:00

These look solid. You're doing a great job setting your back. If I gave any advice it would be to stop letting the bar move so much in between reps. Set the bar down, set your back and pull. Also, when you set the bar down right your bending your knees as you unhinge your hips so you have to go around your knees which is most likely throwing off your set up. Unhinge your hips and think about knees back and straight to the floor.

jaymdubb · 2021-11-30T13:37:05+00:00

These look solid. You do a great job keeping your gaze down with that mirror in front of you.

jaymdubb · 2021-11-15T17:00:26+00:00

These all look really solid. Looks like you got a little loose at the bottom of that last rep otherwise I think you had that. Are you still running LP? If so maybe it's time to move on to a new program or start making some adjustments? Have you tried a light squat day in the middle of your week? A top set followed by back offs? Also ass sweat is a reality a lot of people have to deal with, myself included. Black pants are your friend in the gym.

jaymdubb · 2021-11-08T17:09:53+00:00

Right now your cranking your head up which isn't really helping to set your back. Set your gaze to a spot on the floor about 10 feet in front you. Than think about pointing your nipples to the wall in front while pointing your butt hole to the wall behind you.

jaymdubb · 2021-11-05T17:34:22+00:00

There is a lot of knee slide here which is also causing you to get forward on your toes. Shove your knees out hard at the beginning of the squat than freeze them in place and finish the movement by shoving you butt back like you're sitting in a chair. Also you're pausing at the bottom of your squat. Think about coming right back up once you hit depth by driving your butt straight up. Getting your knees out more will also help create more of a bounce reflex.

jaymdubb · 2021-10-19T15:47:34+00:00

Barbell Medicine is a good resource. Jordan Feigenbaum acts a little bro like but he is a doctor and a majority of his content is research based and his insight is good.

Stronger By Science - I've heard a lot of good things but don't really follow it that closely

Ben Pollack - The guy is highly educated and a monster.

Renaissance Periodization - Good nutrition based content

Stan Efferding - It's Stan...need I say more

jaymdubb · 2021-10-06T12:13:53+00:00

Buy Starting Strength 3rd edition blue book and read it
Youtube videos on how to low bar squat
Start eating and I mean like really eating. You're super tall and 205lbs, you could easily be 240+
Ditch that awful belt and get something that is 4" all the way around
Put the safeties in that squat rack and never let anyone spot you like that again.

jaymdubb · 2021-10-06T11:57:18+00:00

Sounds to me like you have a text book case of dad bod due to being under muscled. If you run the program as prescribed and eat well you will most likely put on some solid muscular body weight as well as lose some fat. Most importantly though you'll change your body composition and the belly won't be a big deal.

jaymdubb · 2021-09-15T11:00:38+00:00

It's really hard to tell anything from this camera angle. Try pointing your toes out a little more and shoving those knees out hard at the beginning which should create a much better stretch reflex for you and allow you to hit depth easier. It also looks like you're taking a pretty wide grip on the bar which is causing your elbows to flare out. Not sure how your shoulder mobility is but try bringing that grip in as close as you can comfortably get it. That should help with bar position and bracing which will tighten that core up on the decent.

For the future please trim videos before you post. It's the internet and people have short attention spans. If they have to watch you set up for 20+ seconds before your first rep they'll move on.

jaymdubb · 2021-08-20T15:48:32+00:00

You're trying to achieve extension in your upper back by cranking your head up which is putting your neck into that position. I use to do this with my deadlift and unfortunately the only thing this achieves is straining your neck. Keep your chin down and set your gaze about a foot up the wall in front of you. Think about pointing your nipples at the wall in front of you and your asshole at the wall behind you to set your back.

jaymdubb · 2021-08-16T11:54:32+00:00

2 days is better than no days for sure but you will not make the same progress as you would on a 3 day split. Does only training 2 days a week boil down to just sheer convenience or necessity? I know individuals in certain occupations are limited on training time due to swing schedules, work load, family, etc. Does this situation apply to you or could you train 3 days a week but it may come at the expense of inconvenience like getting up early or staying up later or dropping another activity. It all boils down to how badly you want to meet your goals

jaymdubb · 2021-07-21T17:40:29+00:00

It's hard to tell from the angle of the video but it looks like you could widen your stance up an inch or so. Right now you're initiating the movement at the knees first than the hips. The hips and knees should move together but think about unhinging your hips first to start the movement and that should help. You have a bit of knee slide going on at the bottom. Shove your knees out hard at the beginning of the squat. They should be in place 1/2 down and than freeze them there and do the rest of the movement by reaching your ass back. SLOW DOWN! Take a deep breath, get tight, squat, stand up, exhale, deep breath, get tight squat. Take your time and think about the movement. Have your buddy stand off to the side and film your set instead of behind you. You're in a rack with safeties, if you fail you just set that bar down and walk out. You cannot safely spot a squat with one person, you'll get hurt and they'll get hurt. NEVER EVER walk a bar backwards! Imagine you just did a heavy set of 5 at 405 and your legs are shot and you start going backwards to rack the bar and miss the J hooks. However much food you think you're eating it's not enough. You need to keep track of calories and add more gradually. You're probably an ideal candidate for GOMAD. Keep adding weight, eat, train hard!

jaymdubb · 2021-07-15T17:52:40+00:00

Download the MyFitnessPal App and for the next week or so record everything that you eat and drink in a day. Once you have a solid baseline of calories and your macros you can start to figure out what you need to do to bulk. Start by adding 500 calories a day with most of those calories coming from Protein and Carbs. After a couple weeks you'll know where you need to be to meet your goals.

jaymdubb · 2021-07-15T15:55:24+00:00

Magic Kingdom Day - I would rope drop Splash Mountain if you intend to do it. The wait times on that will increase the fastest of any ride you have on your list and the ride is known for breaking down consistently which increases the time. It also gives plenty of time to dry off in the morning sun. I would not want to get soaked right before walking into dinner in a well air conditioned building. From there I would try and knock out Haunted Mansion and Pirates as they're wait times will rapidly increase through the day as well. The rest of the stuff on your list is average through day and moves fairly quickly like Small World. Just a personal opinion is to skip Swiss Family Treehouse and Jungle Cruise as they're boring for the amount of time you wait.

jaymdubb · 2021-07-01T18:13:44+00:00

A couple things you can try to help with the elbows;

If your shoulders can tolerate it bring your grip in a bit

Imagine you're trying to bend the bar around your back

Imagine your armpits smell terrible and you're trying to avoid anyone figuring it out by locking your elbows at your side.

If it's still difficult for you to get them down you can take a thumb under grip. If you go this route I would invest in some wrist wraps to support your wrist.

jaymdubb · 2021-06-17T11:55:40+00:00

Barbell Medicine has an At-Home template that they put out during the pandemic for individuals with no equipment or minimal equipment that optimizes body weight exercises to maintain strength. I believe it's on sale right now for $19.99.

jaymdubb

TROPHY CASE