#powerbuilders

[earthnashes]

Fitness update time baybeeeeeeeee! I once again had to gather the balls to post the photos here so uh. Ye. :D

Like the last one, more details will be under the cut, but for the TL;DR crowd:

Last Update Here

Current: 177lbs | Estimated BMI: 24-26% | Push Pull Legs split at 6 Days a week

Notes: Training stimulus for this block focused on lifting basics and intensity: establishing a stronger mind-muscle connection and knowing how training to true mechanical failure feels like. Additional challenge: Finding maintenance calories and maintaining weight in the general range of 175-180lbs before re-attempting 1st Lean Bulk attempt.

Results: All lifts have seen an increase in working weight. Noticeably more muscle definition overall over the course of the last two months. Weight largely remained the same; assume maintenance calories has been accurately found.

Sooooooo the last two months have been kinda crazy. I took a look at my past lifting logbooks and found that despite my PRs being higher than the last recorded attempt, my overall working weights for all of my lifts hadn't really moved much. Partially out of fear of injury, but mostly due to the noticeable lack of real intensity in the training.

On top of that I found that my weight wasn't going down or up at the calories I was eating at, but my energy had begun to drop and recovery was suffering. Originally I was meant to be in my first bulk, but my weight never moved, and that ultimately resulted in me switching strategies for my nutrition too.

Basic idea: dial up the intensity, RPE of 8-9.5. Find true maintenance calories.

For nutrition: I used the TDEE calculator for my calories this time. It's supposedly more accurate than most other calorie calculators including MyFitnessPal's calculator, which gave me 2200 calories as my "bulk". Welp, turns out that's wrong; 2200 is my cutting number with my current activity level. And given how long I've been in a cut, it explained why, even in the deficit still, my weight never moved: it's too low to gain weight, and with how long I been in a deficit up until then my body was adapted too much to continue losing fat. So I instead switched focus onto finding my actual maintenance calories by immediately bumping my calories to the number the TDEE calculator gave me (2600 cal) and adjusting based on how my weight trend.

Result is, over the course of 2 months I gained 2 pounds but I'm certain this is almost entirely muscle (based on look, measurements, and performance in the gym); I've otherwise hadn't changed weight wise. This is good to know; it means I can eat more than I initially thought and gives me a stronger baseline for when I do actually go into a real bulk.

For training: First thing I focused on was my legs, which was arguably my weak link. This is largely due to an old injury in my left knee made it hard to reach full range of motion, and the strength discrepancy between my left and right leg because of it was pretty noticeable. Correcting it is one of the reasons why I switched to PPL training split, with Legs being trained first every cycle.

For both my legs and my isolation exercises I utilized unilateral versions of all my exercises; working each limb separately instead of together. I also incorporated a different set program: 2 working sets of 6-10 reps, 1-2 sets taken to true mechanical failure. The failure sets were meant for me to get used to the very uncomfortable sensation of training the muscle to- and past - it's actual limit and not my mental limit while maintaining proper form technique. That shit is rough, but it ensured that I was training with actual intensity and I was taking the muscle to true failure for growth, which in turn would help with building better muscle-mind connection with each muscle bilaterally and unilaterally.

For compounds I didn't take any of the lifts to true failure due to the higher fatigue and recovery toll. Instead I focused on building strength skill, so the set program was: 1 Topset (heaviest set of the exercise) 1-3 reps, 2 working sets for 5-8 reps. Any hypertrophy work for these lifts were always done with machine accessories for stability and safety.

Results thus far has seen my overall strength increasing, my knee is much stronger and stable (tested my squats and I can safely squat my own bodyweight without pain or wobbling, which is a feat due to being unable to do that months ago), and I confidently can say I have better form and idea of intensity.

-------

SO! With all of that said I'd say this block was overall a success after much trial and error. Now that I've gotten a better idea of a few things, my next move right now is to take a deload week for some much needed rest, then structure my next block for a more strength focus alongside my 2nd attempt at an actual lean bulk. The goal is to gain at least 4-5 pounds of muscle by the beginning of next year and make a new maxout for my PRs, so I might look a lil soft the next time I do a progress report but hopefully I'll be much stronger and ready for my second cutting phase.

This shit is hard, but I'm loving it to death man. I'm having a lot of fun learning and going through the journey and now I can confidently say that I'm at the Intermediate stage of lifting! I also think I know the type of weightlifter I am now. I've heard the term "powerbuilding" a few times now and I feel it fits; primarily lifting to build strength, but also throwing in some bodybuilding rhetoric for aesthetics.

Like I said a while back I'm seriously considering recording my workouts and posting those as I go on my Instagram, and I've actually bought a lil phone stand to practice recording and being more comfortable in front of the camera. We'll see how that goes I suppose!

But uhhhhh YE! That's all my yapping for now. Thank you for listening, and if you have any fitness goals feel free to share them with me! :)

[chantillyxlacey]

my wife is playing a run of Scarlet Hollow as Shinjiro Aragaki and i am delighted to see where this goes

[benchpressingbanlikeyou2]

Def need a tripod next time instead of using straight bars on some cheap shit lol. “Last set 355lb, 5x5”

[da-janela-lateral]

your mp100 worldbuilding posts are driving me crazy. i need to write out my Ghost Biology Thoughts now. thank you so much

WRITE IT RIGHT NOW (I'd love to see the ghost)

[wolverinewing]

Nov.1st. 220.4 pounds. Smashed deadlift and back today. This week was not my best in the gym, arm day I failed a few times which hasn’t happened in a while. But keep pushing, thats all I can do. Wanna work on my chest next program. My trainer already has some ideas…lets get it!!

Edit: superset arm day is doing me very well..arms look fuller when flexing verse 1 month ago..this is good!! Stomach is still getting toned up but I can hold weight really well so I’m not too worried about having a bit of a belly. Basically waiting for my muscles to outgrow my belly but either way I’m on the right path

[fulgararchitects]

The widespread use of electrochromic glasses in future residential and commercial settings provides a glimpse into future adaptive building facades, particularly modern applications of glass envelopes in the Philippines. https://fulgararchitects.com/trends/electrochromic-glass-for-future-homes-and-buildings-in-the-philippines/ . .

[realnaturalbodybuilding]

Is powerbuilding just an Invention?

Today I wanted to come back to powerbuilding. In my opinion, power building is a word that shouldn’t particularly exist. Powerbuilding is a mix of powerlifting and bodybuilding. But the truth is, real bodybuilding has always been about building strength like powerlifters do.

Watch now-

[fitness-trending-content]

Elite Powerlifter Pretended to be a CLEANER | Anatoly GYM PRANK The recommended emojis for this paragraph are: ✅, ☝️, 👋 https://newsinfitness.com/elite-powerlifter-pretended-to-be-a-cleaner-anatoly-gym-prank/

[daybreaksys]

an advice for new lifters and for more advanced lifters who still consider themselves new because they haven't reached their goals:

you will not know you are at your prime until you pass it. Go to that competition, take those photos, do that thing. This might be your prime. You may never look like this again, you may never rep these weights again.

[canalforcaestrutural]

DA PARA TREINAR "POWERBUILDING" 3x/SEMANA OU É MELHOR 4-5x?

[earthnashes]

How do you keep up the motivation for working out? Or the planning of what exercises to do and go for? Asking cause I’ve been interested in weight training and tried it before but ya know- after 3 months, took a break, and now it’s hard to get back into it. Hope you don’t mind the questions! Congrats on your progress too!

I don't mind questions at all, no worries! :)

So I guess my answer to the question is to really evaluate why you're trying to get into weight training: What are your goals? Is it for the aesthetics? Is it because you wanna be strong, athletic? Is it a lifestyle you're willing to commit to?

I say ask yourself these questions and really evaluate what you want out of it, because I'll be honest: motivation is what got me started, but it isn't why I'm still at it. The bottom line to getting into weight training at any level in my opinion is to view it as a lifestyle commitment. Because it is; anyone can lift weights, for sure, but if you wanna make any meaningful progress in the gym you have to take it seriously.

As such, my one of my biggest tips in the motivation department: make weight training a non-negotiable component to your lifestyle. More than that, make your health a non-negotiable component to your lifestyle. Because fitness is a long game, one you will play for the rest of your life, so it must become a regular part of your life, however way you choose to make it so.

SO with all that said, some tips that could help you to stay consistent:

1.) Make a training plan. Figure out exactly what you're aiming for with your training program (are you training for strength or hypertrophy? Conditioning?), then select the training split (Fullbody | Upper Lower | Push Pull Legs | Bro Split) and exercises you're going to utilize to reach that goal (I recommend only selecting 4-6 exercises per workout. If you're doing more than that, unless you're an experienced and/or professional lifter, you're building unnecessary fatigue). Do your research here.

2.) Decide your training frequency. An extension to 1: once you've decided your training's purpose and the exercises that'll help you reach it, choose for how long this block will last. At minimum to see any sort of progress I recommend 4 weeks, but ideally something around 6-16 weeks for your training program to see substantial results is best. This is including the deloads (premeditated active rest periods), which is another thing entirely so I won't go into detail here.

Once you figure out how many weeks you're gonna go, plan how many days a week you're gonna go. Select specific days and times and treat it like it's mandatory. No matter how you're feeling or the weather or whatever, you're fuckin goin to that gym and getting the workout in. Be mindful of what your body is saying, but hold yourself accountable; don't make excuses.

3.) Have contingency plans. Let's say you've planned a training block for 5 days a week and you're going strong. But something at work comes up and it cuts your time much shorter. Instead of shrugging and going "Welp, can't go anymore I guess :/" try thinking "if I can't go 5 days, I'll go at least 4 days a week." Can't go 4 days? Go 3 days, so on. Backup plans for your backup plans. Learn to adapt to the challenges every day life brings you.

4.) Treat it like riding a bike. Weight training regardless of your goals is a long term game, and there are always gonna be ups and downs. There are gonna be times where it's hard to get back into it. Well, like falling off a bike, the best thing you can do to continue riding the bike is to get back on it. So get back on it. If you need to start slow again, then do it, because any step is still a step more than before. You'll gain momentum again, just give yourself some grace and patience.

5.) Trust the process. Because weight training is a long game, it's also a game of waiting. Visible progress is gonna take some time, so take inventory on other things to gauge it. Instead of looking at the scale or at the mirror, ask yourself how you feel. Do you feel more energized? How has your mood been lately? Do you feel a little more confident? Do you move easier? In the gym, are your numbers going up? Do the weights move easier? Do you feel focused and in the zone when in the pocket? Take inventory with yourself often and trust that you're making progress, even on days where it feels like you've stagnated.

----------

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand that's all I got! I hope that answers your questions! :)

[anomenofdarkness]

I just came up with a Barbarian-based speed build that I honestly think is just rlly cool.

First, you're going to take the Centaur race, which has a base movement speed of 40 feet.

Second, you are going to go with the Totem Warrior subclass and take the Elk Totem, which increases your movement speed by 15 feet while raging.

Third, you are going go take the Mobile feat at 4th level, increasing your speed by another 10 feet.

At 5th level, you get the Fast Movement feature which increases your speed by another 10 feet.

Fourth, you're going to take the Instinctive Pounce optional feature at 7th level. This allows you to move up to half your speed as part of the bonus action you take to enter your rage.

Centaur base movement speed: 40 feet

Mobile: +10 feet

Fast Movement: +10 feet

Base Movement Speed: 60 feet

Enter a rage

Elk Totem: +15 feet

Instinctive Pounce: +30 feet

Movement speed on the turn during which you entered your rage: 105 feet

Movement speed on subsequent turns: 75 feet

Dash after immediately after raging

Run as far as you can

Feet covered: 180

Then of course, if you want to take this even farther, take a couple of levels in rogue so that you can dash as a bonus action.

Action dash + bonus action dash = 225 feet. At level 9.

[benchpressingbanlikeyou2]

Another Poverty dips (35lbs)

[settlefit]

Try this Booty exercise, weighted then drop to bodyweight

45 Degree Hyper Glute focused: 110 lbs 3 x 10-12 then dropped down to body weight

Video by @mahsa_ifbbpro

Get this awesome Fat Burner 100% natural at https://settlefit.com

[thestrongbear]

AWESOME meet this weekend at the USPA Tri-City Classic. Very proud of my 4 first time lifters. They won 3 first place and 1 second place and set 4 state records. All of these guys performed like veterans and showed off the years of work they have put in. Great job guys 👏 @alfonsdovana @jedbearnerd @stow_show @andrew_stbernard It was a well ran meet from @gbrewerpower with some high energy competitors who made the environment great as always. #powerlifting #squats #benchpress #powerbuilding #powerliftingmotivation #powerliftingcoach #onlinecoaching #uspapowerlifting #sleestrength (at Columbus, Georgia Convention & Trade Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqjriU0NroT/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[hydrogenandtime]

Low bar front squats (zerchers) this morning.

Then did hamstring curls and low reach bicep curls (bicep femoris 🤝 bicep brachii superset)

Then leg extension and overhead tricep extension

(quadriceps 🤝 triceps)

Deliberately took it pretty easy today, though the squats still felt fairly challenging. But all my accessory stuff was cruisy. Feels damn nice to move. Body image dissatisfaction still kinda high but thankfully this gym has fuck all mirrors, so that's rly nice!