"So, What Do You Do for Fun?"

She asks it casually, mid-sip. And you feel the floor open up, because the honest answer is work, gym, and a couple shows you're half-watching.

Women rarely say this out loud, but a man with a life is attractive before he says a word. The guy who spent Saturday deep-sea fishing and came back with photos and a story — he walks in already interesting.

The "22 Rules" pushed me to build a life worth talking about. Turns out the fastest way to be interesting to women is to be interested in your own life first.

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Maximum Number Deadlift Repetitions

I-tallionStallion

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Being_the_Don said:
Since we're now on the subject of pausing between lifts, how long do you guys wait? If I don't lift within no more than 20 secs of my previous lift, I declare the number where I stopped to be a set. Then I take rest break and then start again. I do that on all my exercises. I wonder if I've been counting them differently than most of you guys all of this time. :confused:
Well, when doing 20 rep squats, it's until you rack it that you stop the number. The same goes for bench, once you rack it, it's over. With deadlifts though it's different...I wouldn't call waiting a couple minutes before each lift to be part of the rep amount. Once you step away from the bar, relax for a good amount of time...it's over - Failure also has a lot to do with the lifts

High rep deadlifts are pretty dangerous depending on the weight you do to your 1RM. Without a belt I would not attempt really high rep deadlifts.
 

"Nervous Around Beautiful Women? There's a Rule for That"

I could talk to any woman I wasn't attracted to. Charming, funny, relaxed. Then a gorgeous woman looked my way and I'd become a sweating, babbling mess.

The fix took me years to find and ten minutes to learn. Nervousness and excitement are the same physical state — pounding heart, adrenaline, flushed face. Your brain just picks the label. And you can pick a better one.

Rule 16 shows you how. You feel the nerves, relabel them as excitement, and let that energy pour out as enthusiasm. Women notice the guy radiating it. They always do.

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Being_the_Don

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I-tallionStallion said:
Well, when doing 20 rep squats, it's until you rack it that you stop the number. The same goes for bench, once you rack it, it's over. With deadlifts though it's different...I wouldn't call waiting a couple minutes before each lift to be part of the rep amount. Once you step away from the bar, relax for a good amount of time...it's over - Failure also has a lot to do with the lifts

High rep deadlifts are pretty dangerous depending on the weight you do to your 1RM. Without a belt I would not attempt really high rep deadlifts.

I don't use a belt or straps. The thing is that I want to increase my number of reps on the deadlift to at least 5 per set (I'm talking about 400 pounds or more now) because sometimes I think I'm lagging behind some of the other guys who post in here. I know we're not competing against each other, but I measure my progress against you guys ie you, Quag and a couple of other posters. I know I'm doing well but I can do better. For me I wait 15 - 20 secs before doing another rep on my high end dL's. TBH, I've felt kind of bad if I'm not lifting within 5 secs of lowering the weight to the floor. That's ONE of the reasons I meticulously log my rest breaks in my journal. But maybe I shouldn't feel so bad about that now.

Anyway, I'm going to get those reps up.
 

I-tallionStallion

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I got up to 405 for five reps by training once a week for 3x5 for my deadlift. i slowly went up every week until I hit 405 about a year and a half ago. I followed the where to start post (second choice) in the vault for 9 months or so before I started posting my journal.

And there is nothing wrong with a little competition. I enjoy seeing everyone progress on the board and seeing you get the 400 lb deadlift Don was a great moment cause you wanted it so bad.
 

Smack

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Kerpal said:
You also have to look at relative strength, not just absolute strength. A 160 lb guy can't be expected to compete with someone who weighs 200+ lbs.
In which case you also have to look at height. Some really short guys (less than 5'6") are actually really built at that weight, more so than 6'4" 200+lbs of me.
 

Being_the_Don

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Yesterday was probably the toughest for deadlifting under my new regimen. I only got 9.25 reps which is a disappointment imo. I wish that my calluses wouldn't bother me while lifting.
 

"The Coffee Shop Girl You Never Spoke To"

You've replayed it a hundred times. She stood three feet away, scrolling her phone. You had an opening. You composed the perfect line — after she was gone.

For all you know, she's married now. To some guy who said something. Anything.

Openers are cheap. Almost any sentence works when it's delivered within three seconds. The expensive part is the standing there, drafting and deleting, while the window quietly closes.

The "22 Rules" stripped out my hesitation. What to open with, how to keep it alive, and the one habit that costs guys more women than anything else: waiting for perfect.

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Drum&Bass

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calluses are a sign of holding the bar incorrectly. You should NOT be holding the bar on the layer of skin below the fingers.

You SHOULD be holding the bar in your fingers at the very bottom of them.
 

Being_the_Don

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Drum&Bass said:
calluses are a sign of holding the bar incorrectly. You should NOT be holding the bar on the layer of skin below the fingers.

You SHOULD be holding the bar in your fingers at the very bottom of them.

If I'm reading your message correctly, what you're suggesting is that I hold the bar with my fingers curled around it. Is that correct?
 

Alle_Gory

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Being_the_Don said:
Yesterday was probably the toughest for deadlifting under my new regimen. I only got 9.25 reps which is a disappointment imo. I wish that my calluses wouldn't bother me while lifting.
sensitive eh? use some moisturizer on the skin. something with vitamin e.


coconut oil is fantastic for the skin. mostly when healing from things like burns and cuts.
 

Being_the_Don

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Drum&Bass said:
Well, I do them that way but the fingers on my left hand have a tendency to give which is why I began to grip the bar more tightly.
 

"She Made Her Decision Before You Finished Your Sentence"

Three seconds. That's how long it took. Your shoes. Your posture. The way you held your drink. Whether you looked at the floor or looked at her.

She already filed you away. Interesting. Boring. Safe. Bold. Before you even opened your mouth.

Everything you say after that is just her confirming what she already decided.

So stop rehearsing lines. Fix the first three seconds. Stand tall. Look up. Smile like you mean it. Walk like you belong wherever you're standing.

The words come later. The impression comes first.

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Being_the_Don

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Kerpal said:
I wish you would eat more :p
Not a chance. I don't want to gain anymore weight than I already have these past few months. I'm doing the combined workout to lose those unwanted pounds, you know. And to help it along I'm returning to the eating habits I had been practicing up until autumn 2008 which is when the unfortunate pounds started adding on.
 

I-tallionStallion

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HERE is a good article on how to grip the bar correctly during deadlifts
 

Being_the_Don

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I-tallionStallion said:
HERE is a good article on how to grip the bar correctly during deadlifts

Thanks for the article, the guy's stance is the same as mine. Back when I started doing dLs about 2 years ago this summer, I watched stronglift's video demonstrating proper form. If my gym allows it, I'll probably start using some chalk.
 

"She Wants a Man, Not a Boy"

You asked her if she wanted to grab coffee. Then you asked if the time worked. Then you asked if the place was okay. Then you asked if she'd prefer tea.

Four questions. Four chances for her to say no. Four signals that you're terrified of making a decision.

Plan it. Pick the place. Pick the time. Tell her where to meet you. She'll either show up or she won't.

Either way, you look like a man instead of a scared little boy.

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Drum&Bass

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Just pulled 450lbs for 10 reps tonight no straps, no belts, no wraps, no shoes !! 100 % RAW !!
 

I-tallionStallion

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Very nice DB! You must be able to do over 500 lbs now. $hit...Your going to be me to it! :)
 

Drum&Bass

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already hit 500 like 2 weeks ago, im looking towards 515 now
 

Mr.Positive

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Drum&Bass said:
Well I'll be damned...who knew grip made that much of a difference. I've been grippin' the bar wrong the whole time!

I'll be looking forward to my next deadlifting day, to try a new grip.

Many thanks DB...
 

"She Wants a Man, Not a Boy"

You asked her if she wanted to grab coffee. Then you asked if the time worked. Then you asked if the place was okay. Then you asked if she'd prefer tea.

Four questions. Four chances for her to say no. Four signals that you're terrified of making a decision.

Plan it. Pick the place. Pick the time. Tell her where to meet you. She'll either show up or she won't.

Either way, you look like a man instead of a scared little boy.

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