Posts by Michael Rivera63

Ronald Collins45 said:well, I'm heading out now...

What's so special about Sunday morning, anyway?

Jamie Rivera70 said:Well, if one of your girlfriends actually showed me some skin... 😬

It looks like I'm stuck with just you again 😁

Man, life is tough for you... 😁

Jamie Rivera70 said:Michael Rivera63 Look, if it isn't too much trouble, could you toss a few links my way regarding recoil, muzzle blast, felt impulse, and all that other fun stuff?

For crying out loud...

Well, you’ve certainly got plenty to keep you occupied here... 😁

There’s just so much detail packed in here that you’re going to have a hard time catching everything if you only give it a passing glance...

How many times am I going to watch this? Honestly, at this point, I should just throw out the damn 550-pounders already, but... well, here we are... 🙂

Honestly, it’s much better if someone just walks you through it in person... it makes everything so much simpler.

Watching you work, only to have you swoop in and tweak those tiny little details that actually make all the difference...

Alex Long8 said:p.s

So I’m not going to go through the hassle of replying to everyone via DM individually. I’ve decided to go natural for the next two or three months, so you can all stop sending me your "offers." I'm actually starting a course of Accutane for my acne, and some guy over at bodybuilding.com suggested I scale back on the protein intake due to some nonsense regarding liver strain. Because of that, I'm ditching the supplements until spring. I'll just maintain my current physique for now, and once spring rolls around, I'll be out there buying up every single thing on the shelf...

Good grief...

ruggedpanther27 Asks:
So, my meniscus is shot. Well, according to the doctor, it’s "minor," so no surgery is required—just a solid round of physical therapy... turns out I might actually have to work for my recovery after all.

Physical therapy is absolutely brutal... plus doing those specific corrective exercises with the PTs can be a total killer. Honestly, though? I think cycling is going to be my biggest lifesaver. At least, that’s what the experts are telling me, and a buddy of mine swears by it too—he said his knee was completely shot until he started hitting the bike regularly...

Once I finally clear some space on my schedule, I might actually dedicate a bit more time to the Holy Trinity... 😁 So far, the only thing being talked about is the bench press...

Watch yourself out there. And honestly, I’m pulling for you—wishing you a really speedy recovery... 👍

And then we’re looking at a total of about 2,200 pounds... 😉

ruggedpanther27 said:this Pisarenko guy is a total lightweight

Honestly, this kid looks like a scrawny amateur, which is why all those heavy lifts seem so baffling to me... I’ve been digging through his old videos lately, though... and man, he’s actually legit...🙏

Who knows where he'll end up...

I’ve really started getting into this stuff, mostly because of this forum and you...

Once my leg is healed, the first thing I'm hitting at the gym is the deadlift...😁

But Pisarenko is an absolute legend...
A beast, weighing in at about 285 lbs of pure muscle...
The current record holder is Rezzazadeh, who sits at around 350 lbs body weight, and his clean and jerk record is 580 lbs (they wiped the old records when the weight classes shifted)...

That should give you an idea of what kind of machine Pisarenko is—he's 65 lbs lighter, yet has a higher clean and jerk (rumor has it he's pulling 595 lbs and snatching 615 lbs in training)...

And this kid is a monster too...
He might look a bit lean, but he isn't 330 lbs...😁
The guy was just born strong and started training young, which explains those insane numbers...

Well, I'm glad if I managed to motivate you even a little bit...👍
So, what happened with your leg?

ruggedpanther27 said:this 17-year-old kid is pulling 675 lbs on his deadlift😲

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6UUJbb2T6E

Michael Rivera63, you seeing this motivation here?🙂

Now *this* is what I call motivation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UURIs159pYI

Honestly, I think I might have already surpassed that guy's deadlift... at least compared to what he’s hitting in this video. I'm way stronger now, but back then, I was only about 330 lbs😁)

Paul Miller64 said:I’m running into the exact same thing with my triceps...

I absolutely nailed this training block. My max bench used to sit at 275 lbs, but now I’m hitting 6x265 lbs on close-grip bench... (after a 4-week break)

If you guys want, I'll upload the full program tomorrow.

For my bench, I actually ran a Smolov Jr. cycle.

Three weeks, benching four times a week...

Ended up adding about 20 lbs to the lift too.

In the beginning, everything affects your central nervous system. That’s why you need a solid program with actual progression if you want to move heavy weight, rather than just chasing a pump with the same old numbers forever...

Paul Miller64 said:I wouldn't dream of touching narrow grip bench on the same day as this... especially after sets like that with 220 lbs. How on earth are you managing to lift "only" 285 lbs?

It’s what we call poor CNS adaptation...😁

For me, hitting a triple at 330 lbs feels way harder than grinding out a single at 400 lbs... (and I'm talking squats here)

Timothy Chase91 said:It isn’t just about whether you have results or not—some people will always be ahead of others, and a million different factors play into that. It’s actually about whether you’re training specifically to get them. About 80% of people hit the bench five times a week but only pick up a rowing machine once a month. I was describing what an "ideal" program would look like, though debating whether anyone is actually built "ideally" is pointless. Nobody is perfect. Cheers.

Look, I'm talking about a scenario where someone is doing both movements at full intensity.

For instance, I’m not hitting heavy deadlifts right now—not until my squat gets closer to the absolute max I think I can pull from the floor.
And once I hit that number, what do you honestly think is going to happen to my deadlift?
It’ll skyrocket. Within two weeks of getting back to it, I'll be pulling way more than before, even without the recent practice.

That’s simply because I’m naturally built for pulling...

Nobody hits that "perfect" ratio.
So, I don't see why you're even bringing that up.

Timothy Chase91 said:I don't get why you're obsessing over how much people actually know. If someone doesn't know anyone doing it, then they don't know it. I can't name ten people who can pull off a single-leg squat with 20 pounds, but I can certainly name at least fifty guys cranking out all sorts of squats with 220 pounds. Nobody does those specific movements—not to mention everyone just sticks to chest, abs, biceps, and those other beach muscles. I’m telling you how things *should* be; everyone else is just explaining to you why they aren't. Now, you ask me how many people I know who actually fit that mold, and I’ll tell you right now: very few. And honestly, that’s the most pathetic part of this whole approach...

Well, since I spend my life in a weightlifting gym, I happen to know plenty of people who squat, deadlift, bench, and hit all the other big lifts.

But absolutely nobody—and I mean nobody—has identical numbers for their squat and deadlift. Not even close...
It's just like how nobody has matching numbers for their Bench Press and Back Squat...
Or having the exact same weight on Pull-ups and Military Press...

Chasing these "ideal" ratios is pure nonsense...
Nobody is built that "perfectly"...

Sure, you could force yourself to lift the same weights across different disciplines, but that would just mean you're training at a significantly lower intensity in three out of six lifts compared to what you're actually capable of...

If you're biologically wired a certain way, and your leverage favors the deadlift over the squat, you are never going to have equal numbers for both...

Nicholas Kern90 said:pull-ups and military press are basically in the same ballpark for me

The whole point is that you shouldn't have massive imbalances between your antagonist muscle groups...

I'll say it again...

How many people do you actually know who follow that principle?

Wait, you're hitting 175 lbs on the military press?

Jason Campbell70 said:What would the weight ratio look like for bench/squat/deadlift?

Just some kind of average...

There isn't really a set rule here.

It all comes down to your specific build...

Back in the day, my deadlift was almost double my squat...
And my bench was actually pretty close to my squat, even though I didn't focus on it much at all.

I've been tweaking things lately, so I don't really push heavy deadlifts or benching anymore (maybe just a few sets of three once a month)...

Now, the gap between my deadlift and squat has narrowed quite a bit, while the gap between my squat and bench has grown significantly...

That said, people usually aim for ratios like this:
Bench: 1.5 x BW
Squat: 2 x BW
Deadlift: 2.5 x BW

But like I said, it really depends on how you're built...

Nicholas Kern90 said:so pushing equals pulling...

just like pull-ups and overhead presses... squats and deadlifts...

How many people do you actually know who have identical numbers for both the squat and the deadlift? (I mean, people who actually tested their true one-rep maxes for both and ended up with the exact same result...)

And don't even get me started on pull-ups versus military press...

Timothy Chase91 said:Avoid taking any exercise straight to failure. And please, stop doing the exact same reps and sets every single time. That's the whole point of training—you need variation. Your body adapts way too fast, and once it does, you have to shock the system with something new. goldenfox24 asked a solid question here; I know exactly where he's going with this... your bent-over rows should ideally match your bench press strength. That’s the sweet spot.

Based on what logic?

And who exactly is the target audience for this thread?

Mark Martinez4 said:Just load up on protein powder, a gallon of milk, five eggs, and some CSO, and you'll see the gains. Plus, it’s way cheaper than buying supplements...

Yeah, because you definitely saved money there...

Protein powders are actually a steal when you do the math.

Christian Ramirez67 said:Yeah, I know that... 😁

I read somewhere once that there was some kind of rule of thumb where every percentage point of body fat supposedly equals a specific amount of weight in kilograms... something like that...

Honestly, that just doesn't make any sense...

Give me two examples...

Think about a guy weighing 132 lbs at 10% body fat versus someone sitting at 265 lbs at that same 10%... just do the math...

Christian Ramirez67 said:So I guess I’ve been misinformed this whole time... I thought you were supposed to calculate lean muscle mass first by stripping away the fat. Like, if I weigh 180 lbs at 15% body fat, does that mean I subtract 27 lbs of fat—assuming one percent equals a pound—leaving me with 153 lbs of lean mass, and then you multiply *that* by two or whatever...? It just seems logical that protein requirements apply only to the muscle itself, right?

Math isn't exactly your calling, is it? 😁

15% of 180 is 27.

And even that remaining number isn't strictly "lean muscle mass."
Where do you think your bones, organs, tendons, ligaments, and connective tissue go? 😬

Anyway...
Just base your math on total body weight.

Here’s one weighing in at 245 lbs, starting today
completely relaxed...