Free Fall Version – Beginning Power Weekly Report July 28, 2025

JFord

I really feel humorous messaging a couple of medical problem however right here goes:

I’m formally an previous man at 67. There is no such thing as a conceivable metric by which I will be thought-about a younger man or perhaps a middle-aged man. I take little solace in my assertion that 67 is the brand new 66.

It’s catching as much as me.

Just a few weeks in the past I used to be at my synagogue and I had a sudden, dangerous coughing match when some meals went the mistaken method. I stood as much as get higher ergonomics, noticed stars, and the subsequent factor I do know I’m on my ass leaning towards a desk trying up at bunch of involved faces. I’m instructed I misplaced about 10 seconds of consciousness.

I used to be completely positive: no damaged stuff (together with my head). Completed up the meal positive with zero lasting results aside from profuse embarrassment. Drove myself house with out points. No alcohol was concerned. Solely grape juice!

The problem is that this. Yesterday I used to be squatting a piece set and grinded out rep 4 and REALLY grinded out 5. I used to be undoubtedly seeing stars midway by way of 5. I leaned ahead a bit (type went to hell) so I’d fall ahead if I fainted (which I didn’t). I take advantage of safeties on my rack which are arrange positive I believe. I’m attempting to remain hydrated earlier than lifting however may be capable of do higher.

I’ve had a spot in my coaching and have been pretty profitable at clawing my method in the direction of my earlier PR (250 for 5). Immediately’s carry was 212.5. I’ve been going up 2.5 lbs at a time.

Does anybody have expertise with this drawback and hopefully know mitigate it? I’m fairly dedicated to sticking with heavy units (for me).

Mark Rippetoe

Have you ever modified your respiratory sample between reps?

JFord

Really, I HAVE modified my respiratory patterns between reps. Prior to now, I’ve taken one breath between reps 1, 2, and three. I then normally wanted to take further breaths between 3-4 and 4-5.

I’ve began doing one breath earlier than every rep, valsalva’ing, and go. If I’ve needed to take extra breaths as a result of I ran out of wind after a rep, I do all 5 reps however contemplate it a failed set and I take advantage of the identical weight my subsequent work-out till I can do 5 reps in a row, with no further breaths.

Mark, I bear in mind a publish of yours years in the past that stated that so long as you full 5 reps and the bar stays in your again, the set counts as accomplished. Then just lately, I learn an article additionally written some time in the past, however someday after your publish, by one of many SSC coaches saying you simply go from rep to rep with out pause (aside from the one breath).

I believed I’d give {that a} strive since you by no means wrote a response to it. The top result’s that I progress extra slowly from a decrease baseline of workset weight.

Ought to I’m going again to permitting myself extra breaths between reps? Ought to I return to your authentic commonplace of a profitable set so long as the bar by no means leaves your again?

Mark Rippetoe

So long as the bar is just not racked, it’s one set. And if it is advisable take 5 breaths between every rep, achieve this. The SET is the priority, not the time it takes.

Agilic

I am curious in regards to the opinion of you and/or the board on my levels of cholesterol, which have been effectively above the tolerated ranges for years. The two GP’s I’ve seen within the final decade have each advisable quick intervention with remedy regardless of a household historical past of excessive ldl cholesterol and no opposed well being results (each grandfather’s lived to 90+ and father is 74 and not using a well being incident as of but). Listed here are my newest ranges: LDL 255mg/dL, HDL 44mg/dL, Trig 95 mg/dL, NonHDL 274 mg/dL, Complete 318 mg/dL.

I suppose what my query boils all the way down to is; are these ranges excessive sufficient that if you happen to had been 33 you’d go on remedy for all times per physician’s suggestions (I am all the time skeptical of medical doctors and the medical trade on the whole), or attempt to get the degrees down by way of dietary intervention, or not fear about it given the actual fact the excessive ranges are genetic and haven’t triggered well being points for relations of current generations.

Mark Rippetoe

This isn’t “extraordinarily excessive ldl cholesterol” until you’re the Lipitor salesman or his consumer. Let me advocate an excellent e-book: Doctoring Data

FatButWeak

As a substitute of studying the tea leaves of your blood to guess whether or not you’re “prone to” constructing atherosclerotic plaque, why do not you are taking an image of your arteries as an alternative to truly look to see if there’s any plaque construct up?

Utilizing blood lipid exams to guess at coronary heart illness is as silly as utilizing blood exams and checking for calcium ranges, irritation markers and hint proteins much like what’s in marrow to guess whether or not a bone is damaged. Take a fucking x-ray, silly.

The image of your arteries they take is known as a coronary calcium scan and its a kind of CT scan the place they really measure the thickness of the construct up – if any – of plaque in your arteries. Very diagnostic, very no nonsense, very no guessing. You then get a rating, which is both “youre fucked and stuffed with plaque” or “you haven’t any plaque” or you’ve gotten some plaque.” You could have to pay like, I do not know, $100 bucks to get this carried out because the globo-homo-industrial-military-pharmacology-gubmint complicated would not truly need you to know in case you have plaque. That method they’ll preserve promoting you medicine to deal with a “illness” that you might have as a result of your “related elements” place you at a “excessive danger” of getting the illness (coronary heart illness, that’s). This makes you fearful and straightforward to manage.

Take the bull by the dick and go get a calcium scan and cease being afraid of fucking ldl cholesterol.