My knees feel great tbh. I run all the time too. I normally wear knee sleeves but forgot them back in my dorm in Texas. I’ve always done high bar pause squats like that and no pain. I’m routinely over 2-2.5x bodyweight no issues

Also I’m in weightlifting shoes that have a .75” heel so my ankle flexion angle is probably comparable to those in flat shoes who don’t go over toes

I’ll draw up some fbd of it tomorrow to see what’s good and use my measurements just cause

as long as heels dont come up, going past your toes is A okay

I’ve started taking more rest days. My sleep quality has improved and my bulk is finally working

Rest and recovery is super important fam

Nice dude. That is when your muscles grow!

Hit my first 60kg snatch today it felt amazing

Nice work!

Noice! @Zyklonius B Gassem-LA

Should I start out on a 5x5 program?!?

I'm on week 10 of the 5x5 and I love it.

https://stronglifts.com/5x5/

Yes, start out on a 5x5 program. Preferably stronglifts or starting strength

The 5x5 meme is actually not bad, although there are better programs out there for more experienced lifters

https://youtu.be/O82GETwPstU

holy cows

"I do believe that is a maximum effort"

ya i'd say

rpe 7

@Whitelash 5x5 is great. And you can add some issolation assisstance after the major lifts if you feel so inclined.

What are some advanced programs you guys have? You know, stuff that would be good to do after doing 5x5

candito

smolov ;)

sheiko

bulgarian

Sheiko also has scaling levels of programs

Finally not lifting at a normie gym now that I've moved

Signed up for a powerlifting/strongman gym today and it feels good to be around other serious lifters

@BryceB-ND I didn't mention earlier but since you've not a coach you see your form, phone camera and playback is your best friend.

Really really helpful

@ anyone who can help ....Ok... ok ... so I’m a jiujitsu guy mostly with some kickboxing thrown in ... but I’m really wanting to get into aesthetic lifting ... I do Crossfit but I want to lift only for Chad beefiness... I’d like to get my body swoll.... anyone have a program they’d like to share?

5x5 heavy reps has been working for me. Time under tension is the key to muscle growth

I started doing a warm up set about 20% lighter than my full weight and then do 4 heavy sets. I find it works really well for helping me maintain form.

What's everyone's strategy for managing bad gym days? I've been struggling with my squat lately where my old working set weight feels so heavy I can barely squeeze out one or two reps and it's incredibly frustrating and discouraging.

I think I can attribute that to being overworked tbh. I do Oly lifting 3x a week and then accessory work/strength training on the other weekdays, play rugby on Saturdays and soccer on Sundays.

@Punisher so long as you don't hop on any PED'S, heavy compounds are always going to be optimal for muscle growth. Once you are lifting fairly heavy and your diet is in tune with the work load you're doing every week you can throw in accessory work as you see fit.

@BryceB-ND#1845 @Der Seeteufel - SD @Sean thank you all

@Zyklonius B Gassem-LA I'm by no means an expert but I agree it sounds like you are over training. Do you do squats every strength day?

@Zyklonius B Gassem-LA yes sounds like overworking. Ramp up the carb/overall calorie intake or scale something back.