I've said it before but in the years I was lifting in public gyms I rarely saw anyone legit benching or squatting two plates (full reps, not half repping BS) and only saw someone else deadlift over 315 lb once. these are modest lifts, to be frank, but it does require effort to get there and most people are in the gym to do bicep curls and get on the elliptical

of course there are strong people around but they're way rarer than the internet suggests. everyone lies about their lifts online, yeah bro I totally pulled six plates but I forgot to hit record

@deprecated_ii I've seen a lot of people squatting or benching 2 plates
Id actually say it's pretty common

@monsterislandcolonizer @deprecated_ii Most people are throwing up more than I am, but I'm working back to a 5x5 of 225 bench. Knees are blown out, so squats and deadlifts I gotta go easy on.

How much is of gaining strength is diet based? I do one meal a day and don't supplement anything besides a scoop of protein powder.