HI GUYS
it has been some four months since ma last post, and as of three weeks later, it will have been a year since I started my journey to put on muscle (with some cutting in between)
to be honest, it was alot of trial and error, and stupid mistakes, but i’m glad I learned from it. My stats now are:
Weight: around 166 lbs around 11%, up from last year 151 lbs at 10% (a rough estimate from getting calipered by the same guy)
Squats: +50 lbs from last year
Deads: +70 lbs from last year (newbie gains included, as I hadn’t done deadlifts before)
Chins: +40 lbs from last year
Shoulder Press: +35 lbs from last year
Machine Rows: +30 lbs from last year
Bench: +15 lbs from last year
Now, if you look at that list, my Bench gains are sorta mediocre. I never really figured out why I stagnated so much. A week ago though, I had a couple friends come work out with me who pointed out that my bench form was HORRIBLE. I don’t control the bar during the eccentric part at all- I just drop the bar and use the momentum to violently bounce off my sternum to get the weight up. I can only be thankful I didn’t rip or break something.
I think at that moment I realized that a year of shitty form had caught up with me, and that I had become the archetypal “I sacrifice form to put on more weight” dumbass newbie. This issue was only with my Bench as well- probably because of how much emphasis is put on the bench as an equivalent of how awesome you are. With the other exercises (squats, chins, etc), I never really cared as much about putting on weight, so my form was always consistent. In the end, the gains I had in each area reflected the path I chose. It was a humbling experience.
Anyway, I just want to thank everyone on this forum for being supportive and giving invaluable advice. Hope this next year I will continue to make progress.
