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Yes eating is sooo nice I had another appointment with my chiro today, my back keeps wanting to bind up in between my shoulder blades. This was my 3rd tuesday in a row seeing him, not sure why or what keeps making it go out ? But it has me considering trading out the squats for the deadlift. The problem area is right where i set the bar for squats so... I'm thinking the DL might be better so i wont load my spine so much. Maybe if I can keep it in place for awhile. I can bring the squat back in down the road. any suggestions?

todays diet

cals=3396
pro=295
carb=232

Couple of questions/suggestions:

Is your chiro adjusting in the thoracic/neck area? This is the current direction of chiro as the benefits flow down to the lower spine.

Second, have you performed a weight distribution check? Briefly, stand on 2 scales. Observe the weight differential on each leg. If it's any more than 5% difference, notify your chiro.

With regard to the RDL, fantastic exercise and a good replacement for the squat. Visual:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4w8qlkSz ... re=related

Finally, consider investing in a hip belt squat. Zero pressure on the spine (actually mild form of traction which will help in aligning). To that end..

Briefly, the hip belt suspends the weight between your legs vs placing the bar on your back. This removes the vertical compression of the spine during the lift and allows for unrestricted breathing (deep breaths)
during the lift.

Whether or not you have back problems, this is a lift worth looking into. It takes a few sessions to get used to but you can finally open the throttle with very little risk of injury and really reap the benefits of this fantastic routine. There are two quality hip belts available for sale: The IronMind Hip Belt and the Spud Belt.

I personally use the Ironmind belt and loading pin and have had over 500lbs on there with no problems. The carryover to your barbell squat is almost pound for pound too. Solid investment and can also be used for weighted chins, dips, sled dragging etc.. Very versatile.

Many links avail found another for iron mind.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4VDx2YN4h7E

Rob, was that you in that video?
Ahh link didn't work right, just paste it above it'll go.

Yeah, that "mailordercentral" link(s) were Ironmind's.

They could use some updating..

Wow those are pretty sweet!! I guess I've never seen one before
I definetly will look into getting one of those in the future , that would be a great thing to have. thanks for the links As for the chiro, the vertebraes n between my shoulder blades keep twisting, it causes more discomfort than anything really, it dont really hurt. It makes it extremly hard to keep correct form on some lifts, I really notice it on the barbell pull where you have the bar hanging at your waste, and pull it straight up as far as you can, my elbows shoulders and whole upper body are outta wack,(elbows come up at different heights, one shoulder sags) looks bad really..... And I cant correct it, no matter how hard I focus. As for the weight distrubution, I dont have two scales, but i did use a phone book, and weigh each side seperate..... it probably aint near as accurate, but I was within 3 pounds that way. I asked the chiro if he though it would be a bad idea to do heavy squats, he didnt say for sure either way, but the problem area is right where the bar goes across my back. I'd really like train squats this run, it's one of my weakest lifts..... i cant afford a hip belt this time but, plan on getting one in the future. RDL looks like a good choose too. ...... not sure what I'm gonna do yet

alright boys!! I'm going to the gym for my first workout if the feast phase!! I'm pretty stoked and ready to getback to liftin!! Still aint decided if I'm gonna take the squats out or not. But I've been taking my e and t bol, and I'm ready to go!! I'm hoping to gain solid pounds of muscle, and get some strength back.

starting weight before the famine
200
after famine
190
current(3 full days in to the feast)
197

supplements
E-bol
tbol trib
cbol creatine
xtend
Isolyze
opti-men
fish oil



Goals

weight 210
BP 300(PR 225x10 on last bulk)
sq 400(PR 350x3 )
keep BF% low, maybe even lose some more

Wow.

You dropped 10lbs during famine? That's quite a bit!

Having said that, you're rebounding VERY fast and this is a good sign. I think you're going to be pleasantly surprised

Onward and upward..

Yeah, quick down quick up...awesome. Here is a slight cheese factor way to check that balance thing. Find someone that has the Wii Fit balance board, when you do the test in the begining in will show you your weight distribution side to side and heel to toe. Just a thought...yes I have one

I'll have to look back, are you using the BP loading patterns for squat and bench?

Nice tip on the wii thing..

Come to think of it my parents actully have one of those, I'll be going there this weekend, I'll check it...... And yes I'm using german loading pattern 2, for squat and bench

Well I have to say..... It felt GREAT being back in the gym today!!! You know that feelin you get when you KNOW your fixin to make some major gains!!! Well I can feel it... I'm highly motivated, feelin AWESOME, and I'm ready to tear it up!!! My workout today was great, I'm still a little weak, my strength has definetly took a big hit after my last cut. But I'm not to worried, and I'm positive it's gonna come back fast +some!!

So to sum it up:

1st workout of the feast
Workout felt great
felt strong(even though strength is still low)
decided to do squats(everything felt good)
totally elevated mood after workout(feel like a new man)
cant wait to do it again

Great update. You did take Famine kind of deep so not too unusual.

It's interesting.... usually hits workout 2 or 3 of Feast for me. I know what you're saying though. It feels like a Tsunami coming...

2nd workout of the famine: Another good workout, strength feels like it's starting to comeback already, my PR on bench is 225x10 and 265x4( both equal right @ 300 1 rep max ) Today I used 225 for the 4-6 range workout and got 6, 2-3 weeks ago while I was finishing a cut, I tried 225 I could only get 4. So I'm feeling pretty good....
My weight has come back down a little since starting to lift, I'm weighing about 193, 194 right now, the last 2 mornings I've weighed less than any time throughout the famine @ 189

notes: Feast workout #2

Felt great being at the gym
felt strong, strength is starting to come back
think I feel the supps starting kick in
elevated mood after working out
gotta eat more
weight slightly down

To give a bigger overview of my weight:
Aug 2009 185
new years 213
2 weeks before famine 198
start if famine 200
after famine 190 ( weighed 190 4th night and 5th morn and night of famine)
1st night of feast 196 ( I reported 197, I weighed later and got 195.8 3x's)
After 1st feast workout 192
last 2 nites 193-194

The weird thing is yesterday morning, and this morning I weighed 189 Not sure if thats to significant, no further along than I am, but I found in interesting.

That is odd....

Take care to up those calories as they'll delay traction if too low. Want to get you off to a good start