B. Hank is the reason why I haven't been posting much lately.
B. Hank gets a lot of flak on here, including people bashing his physique, and I really hate those kind of comments. I mean, why are anonymous posters who have never posted photos of themselves insulting a guy who is in better shape than 99% of the general population?
Because of this, the only comments I really ever posted related to him were comments like "B. Hank has one of the best physiques on the board!"
And I posted comments like that MANY times. If you went through my post history, you could see for yourself that I did that.
So you'd think for a guy who gets so much flak on here, that B. Hank would be happy that I sort of have his back when people are trashing him - even teaming up on him and doing that at times.
But no.
At first, we just had normal interactions, until he felt the need to trash my seated overhead press with 100-lb dumbbells. Saying I was doing "half reps", and that I had "a foot lower to go".
He also said I am only at the 75-lb dumbbells level, when I literally did 75's for three sets of 15 last month, and can get at least 17 reps with 75's.
That is almost warm-up weight for me.
What he said was utter and complete nonsense, which he just posted to insult me. Or maybe I'm the stronger presser then he is, and he just doesn't like when anyone outperforms him - but this I don't know.
Here is the video of the lift:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CihCFnegUJc/While I will admit that I can straighten out those dumbbells, and go 2-3 inches lower to really nail the form, there is NOTHING wrong with those reps.
As proof - go on YouTube, and watch a handful of videos of fitness influencers and normal lifters doing the seated overhead press using dumbbells weighing 100-lb or more.
AROUND 80% of all such videos are of people using the same form as me, if not an even MORE LIMITED range of motion.
Probably at least half of them not only don't go any lower, but don't come close to locking out!
Only around 20% have better form, and some of those videos are of genetic freaks like George Leeman.
The only bad aspect that is unique to my form is that the dumbbells are angled towards my shoulders, and not parallel to the ground. But even if I straighten my wrists, it doesn't change the range of motion THAT much, as shown in these screenshots taken from two videos where I did it both ways:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjE3sKSNT7p/Furthermore, I did heavy presses using a full pause here, and was still able to get three reps - and then almost five reps when I lowered the weight to 85-lb dumbbells, also with a full pause:
https://www.instagram.com/p/CjFEKgHuMrT/Here's a video using 75-lb dumbbells with a FULL PAUSE after each rep, and straightening the dumbbells and going lower, and I still got seven reps:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjE1oTRAUnZ/And as you can see from the times on the clock, I did that set with the 75's after the heavier sets, which was after a full warm-up where I had pyramid the weight up.
So quite obviously, I am in the 85- to 100-lb dumbbell range for seated overhead presses. I haven't successfully lifted the 110's yet, but I have done 2-4 reps with the 105's before.
I'm beyond the 75's at my current strength level. B. Hank is just insulting me.
But here's my point:
My seated press video using 100-lb dumbbells for seven reps was a very good lift. Heck, I've only ever gotten nine reps on one other occassion. And I may have gotten 11 once...but I could be misremembering that. What I'm saying is that the 100's for 7 is one of my personal best lifts.
Even IF the form was slightly less than perfect - so what? It was a good lift.
It's like my current 345 bench right now. I could only get 315-320 in contest [outside chance on 325], and I'm NOT claiming that 345 is in contest form. But I don't want to post the video and have people saying I'm doing half reps, and insulting me, because the videos SPEAK FOR THEMSELVES.
Obviously, we are ALL going to get fewer reps if we pause for two seconds between reps, and use precise textbook form, purposely slow reps, etc. DUH.
The video shows me pressing 100-lb dumbbells, and shows the form I use to get seven reps. The video gives a solid indication of my current pressing strength, and speaks for itself.
And it is a GOOD lift. My pressing strength is very good right now.
So I don't need some asshole saying I'm doing half reps which is NOT REMOTELY TRUE, and saying I need to go a foot lower, which is also not remotely true.
It's just insulting.
And coming from a guy who I only EVER said nice things about...it's just disheartening.
Here's a guy who gets attacked by many people on here, who I only ever said nice things about, and who is insulting me, when clearly my training is going well.
He also doesn't seem to grasp that I compete in lightweight Strongman contests [80kg], and that I am NOT a bodybuilder.
So him giving me bodybuilding training advice is pointless.
Furthermore, my deficit in muscle building is my DIET [I don't eat enough]. So training in some refined bodybuilding-style way is not going to help me because "You can't outrun a poor diet".
Unless I double my protein and calories, I won't be gaining muscle. And that's why I train for strength.
B. Hank doesn't seem to get that. And he is just incredibly negative and insulting.
And that's sort of why I haven't been posting. It doesn't help me when people critique my videos just to insult me. It doesn't help me at all, and it gets in my head a little, and makes me lose sight of reality. Media and online images make many people doubt themselves - even those who have their stuff together. Such comments are why I didn't think I was at the level to compete in strength contests at a time when I actually was. They make me doubt myself and just produce a negative aura.
B. Hank is just very insulting, I find.
Is that why people bash him?
Poll
