Post: #26

I saw you mentioned daily flax seed - I'd consider dropping it as it competes with soy for the amount of estrogen it contains.

Post: #27

Lighten up the load on those barbell rows if there's still bouncing in between sets.

Post: #28

So my numbers:

-Squat - 190lbs 5×5 (getting difficult as it's above my BW)
-OH Press - 77lbs 5x5 (After 2 failures, finally did a full 5 sets today)
-Bench - 100lbs (5,5,5,5,4) (Failed the last set twice on this weight. I hate that this is the press that I'm least progressive at.)
-Barbell rows - 125lbs 5x5 (I deloaded to 120 once to control the bounce per suggestion above. I still bounced this time so I may deload more. Seems like the easiest lift to bounce to be honest.)
-Deadlift - 185lbs 5 reps (I need better grip strength and forearms. Likely going for 'Captains of Crush grip bars.

Nutrition is okay. I can get better. Sleep is consciously better.

Hey process is progress although I wish there was a way to progress on the bench similarly to squats even assuming lower proportional weight increases.

Post: #29

Keep going brah

Post: #30

Health and fitness is a passion of mine..

I'm 41 years old. Here's a pic:

   

If you want to look like me, listen to what I say.

--

You seem confused. You don't know to control your own body. I will help you.

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  Goal is to get stronger but mostly to get bigger

Why do you want to get stronger and bigger?

How will this help your life?

(05-29-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  My eating and sleeping habits also suck.

You will not get a nice body until you learn how to eat and sleep properly.

Muscles grow during sleep. No sleep = no muscle

(06-04-2017 09:07 AM)Cobra Wrote:  the convenience store jerky, a bar here, a shake there. an extra sandwich for the meat

This food is not healthy.

This food becomes belly fat.

(06-04-2017 09:07 AM)Cobra Wrote:  I always thought of this as broscience at some level but again, what do I know.

You are admitting that you don't know the difference between "bro-science" and real science!!

This is a clear indication that you should seek professional help.

You need better coaching!

(07-31-2017 06:30 PM)Cobra Wrote:  I never truly understood the difference between incline bench and flat bench.

This is more evidence that you need help!

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  Is it wrong if it's not a smooth movement?

It's not "wrong". It's just increases the chance for injury and diminishes the results.

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  I used to get a large coffee with cream and sugar every day, sometimes twice a day. I cut that down to twice or three times per week. Will this help?

Yes. Reducing coffee will allow your body to normalize its chemistry and help you sleep better.

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  I'm wary of sugary protein bars or drinks. How bad are these and how do you judge them?

They are terrible. They make you fat + promote illness.

You judge them by the amount of sugar and artificial additives that are in them.

Read the label!

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  I'm still not sure what the fiber will do directly for my lifting. I'm also thinking of buying fish oil capsules. Again, not sure how much it helps.

Fiber makes you feel full and satiated. This allows you to maintain power and energy throughout your workout.

Fish oil does help lubricate and stimulate important areas.

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  My arms are seeing some incremental development but that's it. Does it help for me to do bicep curls etc, at this point?

Yes. If you want bigger arms, do more bicep curls + triceps!

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  late night shake..I'd love to hear some opinions on that.

I have a shake almost every night.

At all depends what you put in it.

(07-31-2017 06:30 PM)Cobra Wrote:  my question is if too much whey protein is bad for you.

Too much of anything is bad for you.

The problem with protein powders is that they are largely a scam and mostly ineffective.

Rudebwoy already explained this.

(05-30-2017 06:15 PM)Cobra Wrote:  I went crazy with cold approaches, day game and a bunch of related but useless shit.

Day game is not useless!

It forces you to face your weaknesses and fears. It builds social skill and confidence.

Day game helped me live a better life!

Why do you say it it useless?

I'm curious..

--

(06-02-2017 01:12 PM)Agastya Wrote:  To be honest, at your age you are just going to get stiffer and stiffer and this will probably be your greatest impediment towards gaining strength. Make sure that your body is completely loosened up and healthy before you get into any serious weightlifting.

Great post!

Flexibility is the most under appreciated aspect of fitness.

Post: #31

(08-16-2017 03:12 PM)Cobra Wrote:  -Deadlift - 185lbs 5 reps (I need better grip strength and forearms. Likely going for 'Captains of Crush grip bars.

If not utilizing it all ready, the reverse grip may help.

Post: #32

(05-30-2017 06:15 PM)Cobra Wrote:  I went crazy with cold approaches, day game and a bunch of related but useless shit.

Day game is not useless!

It forces you to face your weaknesses and fears. It builds social skill and confidence.

Day game helped me live a better life!

Why do you say it it useless?

I'm curious..


I think what Cobra is saying here isn't that day game per se is useless, it does everything that you've said Giovanny but that it is a massive time sink, doing large numbers of approaches everyday when you have other, more important priorities to attend to. After a while, the time cost ends up outweighing the benefit you get from it, especially once you've gained confidence by virtue of doing it in the past. Cobra isn't shy and he has a ton of confidence and still does approaches so I'd say this is what he meant by his statement.

(Sorry didn't do the quote thing correctly)

Post: #33

Cobra,

This is where im sitting at right now. I started off pretty small too. If you feel like learning, hit me up. Shit ain't free though.

Post: #34

Another    

Post: #35

Gio - I would rep you many more times if I could. Goes without saying, I appreciate your post and your time. I have learned a lot from you previously as far as game and persistence, which I've applied successfully and obtained results consistent with the effort. Now, to have your assistance with fitness is immensely appreciated. I'll take each of your comments and turn them into goals. I've done them with approaches in the past and I think I can do the same with fitness. I am motivated and looking forward to this.

Food: I will specifically focus at least 2 hours per week on food preparation, adjusting of course to ensure I get things right for the week. I'll find the time.

(08-22-2017 03:20 PM)Giovonny Wrote:  

(07-21-2017 11:57 AM)Cobra Wrote:  Goal is to get stronger but mostly to get bigger

Why do you want to get stronger and bigger?

How will this help your life?

Great question; I had to think about this in a meaningful way. While having minimal gains so far and having bad nutrition, getting my squat to about 200 has felt great.
1. My primary goal is to feel better about myself and to increase my confidence level.
2. My secondary goal is to set an example for my kids and live longer to enjoy my time with them.
3. My next goal while one that is connected to the first is to be more attractive so people gravitate towards me. While my personality gets me there sufficiently, my ego isn't weak enough that I don't recognize need for improvement.

(08-22-2017 06:11 PM)doc holliday Wrote:  

(05-30-2017 06:15 PM)Cobra Wrote:  I went crazy with cold approaches, day game and a bunch of related but useless shit.

Day game is not useless!

It forces you to face your weaknesses and fears. It builds social skill and confidence.

Day game helped me live a better life!

Why do you say it it useless?

I'm curious..


I think what Cobra is saying here isn't that day game per se is useless, it does everything that you've said Giovanny but that it is a massive time sink, doing large numbers of approaches everyday when you have other, more important priorities to attend to. After a while, the time cost ends up outweighing the benefit you get from it, especially once you've gained confidence by virtue of doing it in the past. Cobra isn't shy and he has a ton of confidence and still does approaches so I'd say this is what he meant by his statement.

(Sorry didn't do the quote thing correctly)

It's important to me that I provide a meaningful response to this.

Yes, doc gets why I said what I said. I have known him for long enough that he understands me well personally. I have others that depend on me that I care for a whole lot more than random strange women that have done nothing for me. I can say this because I've hundreds of them and my results were consistent enough with what you would expect. I'm not saying that they are irrelevant but that they are insignificant.

Did it improve my life? Yes, of course it did. I thought every day of how I can make myself more attractive and have better game. However, having this become such a large part of my life made other priorities take a back seat. It deteriorated other areas of my life which deserved a lot more. Now, could I have balanced it better? Yes, of course. However, I'm not going to be the guy that's going to stand here and pretend that prioritizing is easy. If I was a single guy with time on my hands, it would be more fitting. However, it does reach a point of diminishing returns. There are other things, like fitness for example, that I'm forcefully prioritizing. When I'm not doing that, I'm making an effort to develop my relationships with those I value and who value me. In addition, I work on building my book of business. To me, this has become my "game."

I have the confidence and skill to approach but I don't find it to be such a relevant skill at this point in my life that I prioritize it in any way shape or form over other activities that fulfill me as a man. The end result of it does not add a significant value to my life as I have other mechanisms I prioritize more. I'm starting to be perfectly fine with this and proud of realizing this after a few years.

I'm sure guys in my shoes understand this.

Post: #36

On meal prep: as long as you actually make a point to block out the time, it can be your best friend

It's incredibly easy. Set aside a couple hours on a Sunday evening. Get yourself a few packages of boneless skinless chicken thighs, a couple broccoli crowns, a few handfuls of brussel sprouts, a small package of carrots, and a 1lb. bag of rice.

-Marinate the chicken is something tasty (I recommend middle eastern or Indian sauces as they contain no soy and very little sugar)
-Bake the chicken
-Throw ALL the veggies into a big ass skillet and fry them up with salt, pepper, and garlic/garlic powder
-Boil/Steam your rice
-Once it's all done, evenly disperse it into 10 or so tupperware containers

Total time to prep and cook is about 2 hours. Makes 10 meals. You can also through in some baby spinach into the tupperwares while they are still warm so they spinach will wilt a little for some extra greens.

If you do this every Sunday every week then you will never have to worry about your meal content day in and day out. Never have to stress over how shitty you ate, where to go for lunch that isn't going to fuck up your macros for the day, etc.