you could use dumbbells for the bench press without a spot and squats in a power rack using the guard rails if you get in trouble.

alternatively you could focus on a 6 or 8 rep max as opposed to a 1 rep max. if you can do 6 or 8 reps with a given weight then you know its time to move up.

5/31/2011 2:50:04 PM

Quote :

" Just C25K won't get you lean and make you drop a ton of weight, but running feels awesome and it will get you to the point where you can run for 30 minutes straight. If you want to lose weight, what you eat is even more important than what you do. "

I eat really healthy most days but I'm a lazy bump on a log. I'm hoping this will get me started on being active again.

5/31/2011 2:53:37 PM

I'm doing this thing where you take a percentage of your max and do 5 reps the first week, 3 the second and so on. I'm def not going to be doing 1 rep all the time.

Evidently, I can try and do a 4 rep max and use that to calculate my 1 rep max but a lot of these lifts are new (at least doing them correctly) to me and I am scared to pack on the weight. I have to move the weight up once a month anyway so I will be making gains. Might as well start off light and not break my back being an idiot.

5/31/2011 2:58:04 PM

there's nothing at all wrong with starting low to find your appropriate starting weight. don't worry about other people seeing your weight and being unimpressed. who gives a shit.

even if it pushes back your schedule a little bit. schedule is unimportant.

better to start at a place where you're not guaranteed to hurt yourself.

walking up to a squat rack for the first time and plopping plates then trying to execute an exercise perfectly the first time you've ever attempted it is just a sure fire way for disaster.

5/31/2011 3:11:25 PM

Haha yea I'm doing about 115 at squat right now and maybe 90 at press. I really don't care if I'm not lifting a lot of weight if I'm doing it the correct way. I'm pretty tiny. I'm down to like 140 after all the exercising and dieting I have been doing. I used to think my normal weight was 150 but I was wrong.

5/31/2011 3:23:24 PM

The key with squats is proper form. You're going to take all the weight on your neck. Then you're going to jam your legs down and hyper-extend your ankles, and then shoot back up and lock your knees in place.

5/31/2011 3:31:22 PM

For the bench press and squat (of which the squat is ULTIMATELY more important, as it will raise your bench press even if you don't bench at all), this is a great, everyman, 1RM routine.

1) Warm up so that your body is completely ready.
2) Do triples (3 reps) increasing the weight (I'd say 30-50 lbs per set if under 500 lbs) until triples become difficult
3) Do singles (1 rep) and increase the weight each set until a 1 RM is achieved. You now have a template for not only your 1RM but also your 3RM.

You can now scale from this. I would never recommend training at above 90% 1RM capacity with the same lift on consecutive workouts. So, if you squat 500, don't train above 450 multiple leg days in a row. You can still get 1RMs, just do them with a different lift (dead lift, good mornings, band pulls, sissy squats, zercher squats, safety squats, etc)

intresting factoid....your bench press is much more related to triceps strength than chest strength.

5/31/2011 3:32:13 PM

Quote :

"The key with squats is proper form. You're going to take all the weight on your neck. Then you're going to jam your legs down and hyper-extend your ankles, and then shoot back up and lock your knees in place. "

actually, if you want to squat correctly, practice sitting down for about two weeks (no shit) and then only box squat. you should box squat (and squat) the same way you would plop down on the toilet. only difference is you have a bar right below your traps and above your rear deltoids. that high bar squatting nonsense is for olympic lifters.

5/31/2011 3:34:09 PM

there is no reason for non-competitive powerlifters to be low-bar squatting. you can't squat deep with the bar in the low-bar position without risk of injuring your lower back.

5/31/2011 4:54:32 PM

Just finished my first run to find out our water heater is broken At least I completed the first day of the program. Any exercise is better than no exercise

5/31/2011 9:10:17 PM

^^ I hate high bar back squat. I only low bar back squat and have never had any back problems, even squatting 300+

5/31/2011 9:21:11 PM

I've never had problems high bar back squatting, and I've gone as heavy as 565. to each their own.

5/31/2011 9:24:00 PM

This doesn't need to turn into a "who can lift more" contest.

At the end of the day, I think there are other factors that will contribute more to lower back pain than what type of squat is being performed...flexibility being a huge component.

Sit back on a low bar back squat, keep your torso more upright on a high bar. I will agree that you can go much lower on a HBBS, but that doesn't mean you can't still go below parallel safely in a LBBS.

5/31/2011 9:46:13 PM

if you don't want it to turn into a "who can lift more" argument, then don't throw out how much you're lifting as justification for your technique. You should at least realize that squatting 300 pounds isn't even a lot of weight, and I've seen people squat that much with horrendous form on a regular basis.

The whole point of low bar squatting is to increase your numbers, as you incorporate your glutes and hamstrings more into the lift while reducing the distance the bar has to travel. You can't squat as deep with the low bar position, as your body will be leaned forward more and squatting deep will result in flexing the arch out of your back. Sure, you can go to parallel and maybe just a tad bit below in the low-bar position, but you're obviously not worried about redlighting out of a powerlifting competition with your squats. The whole point of squatting is to increase your leg size, and squatting as deep as possible is they way to do that. I squat until the pressure from my calves against my hamstrings puts my knee into tension and then come back up when squatting in the high bar position, which is a good 8" deeper than I can squat in the low-bar position. I also feel my quads working a lot harder when squatting in the high-bar position, since they take more of the stress since the knee flexes more than my hips do compared to the low-bar squat. There are better exercises for hitting glutes and hamstrings, and I work those muscle groups on a separate day from quad day.

my statement about not being able to squat deep is still true with low-bar squatting. "deep" doesn't mean squatting to parallel or just below parallel; it's squatting as low as your body will possibly allow. You have to check your ego at the door if you're squatting as a bodybuilder and not a powerlifter, because what you're really concerned about is what your legs look like when you're not at the gym.

5/31/2011 10:58:23 PM

I guess I might as well post some starting picture so I have something to compare to in about 2 months. I'm currently at 265lbs, and I'd estimate my bodyfat percentage to be ~18%. My goal is to diet down to 240lbs in the next ten weeks and then re-evaluate what I want to do from there.






[Edited on May 31, 2011 at 11:14 PM. Reason : .]

5/31/2011 11:13:34 PM

Right there thats a big motherfucker right there

5/31/2011 11:28:14 PM

Eleusis, what's the lowest bf% you've gotten to?

With your muscle mass, a ~30lbs fatloss would look very impressive.

6/1/2011 12:08:58 AM

I'm happy to report that Quinn is about 5 and a half pounds from being the "fat one" of our gym team.

Also, I'm an idiot and left my squat pad somewhere in Carmichael gym today.

After trying to figure out what in the world you two were going on about, I also learned that I "high back" squat.

Also, I need to take a yoga class and am open to suggestions on how to best complete this goal. My lack of flexibility is frustrating.

6/1/2011 12:24:14 AM

I take one a week at Golds. Shit works, son. I'm about 10 classes away from having that ability all men dream about.

6/1/2011 2:05:45 AM

the leanest I've ever been is about 8% bodyfat at a weight of 230lbs, based on calipers and a visual estimation of how my abs and leg separation looked. That was about 5 years ago, and I'm guessing that I've added about 10 more pounds of mucles since that time.

Bioimpedance testing doesn't work for me; even now my scale is telling me I'm 50% fat.

6/1/2011 9:08:54 AM

yeah buddy stein! I'll gain 45lbs you will have lost 3....not bad for under 2years right?????

6/1/2011 9:25:32 AM

50%?!! LOL time for a new scale!

Eleusis is why I don't lift. We're ridic mesomorphs. Crazy genes.

6/1/2011 9:32:17 AM

^i would have pegged you as an ecto!

[Edited on June 1, 2011 at 9:46 AM. Reason : youre so teeny!]

6/1/2011 9:45:33 AM

^ This is a bad pic, but this is what happens when I lift weights. About 25 to 30 lbs heavier there.

[Edited on June 1, 2011 at 10:20 AM. Reason : r]

6/1/2011 10:19:46 AM

what grip do YOU PEOPLE do for deadlifts?

[Edited on June 1, 2011 at 10:39 AM. Reason : oic. nm. http://stronglifts.com/7-ways-increase-deadlift-grip-strength/]

6/1/2011 10:32:22 AM

I warm up with double overhand, do my top sets with mixed.

I am thinking about moving to hook grip, due to the bicep tear risk with the mixed grip.

6/1/2011 10:46:38 AM

Quote :

"Which hand should be facing up? Elite Deadlifters Andy Bolton and Konstantin Konstantinov always pull with their right hand facing up. So do I because I feel strongest using this grip (I’m right-handed). So dominant palm facing up, weak facing down like Bolton in the picture below. Don’t waste your time alternating which hand is up on each set to prevent imbalances, just follow tip #5. 5. Pull More Overhand. Don’t start to Deadlift every single set using the mixed grip now that you’ve read tip #4. You should pull your warm-up sets overhand-style and only Deadlift using the mixed grip on your last heavy sets. Using the overhand grip as long as possible will boost your grip strength."

I haven't heard that recommendation before. I usually do my warmup sets in my less comfortable mixed grip and then switch. Apparently I am backward in that respect because I am more confident with my dominant hand overhand. The thought of a double overhand kind of weirds me out.

6/1/2011 10:50:47 AM

IMO, bar placement on the back should be dictated by several things...

1. Why are you training? If for strength a mid to low placement is probably more effective as it allows you to recruit more of the posterior chain. High bar is still pretty damn good though. If for Oly lifting, a mixture of high/low to would be effective.

2. How mobile are you? Shoulder and hip mobility will dictate where the bar should be placed. Tight shoulders will prevent a correct low bar position. Insufficient hip and ankle mobility will prevent proper depth in both high bar and low bar, although low bar will be easier to get safe depth as it allows you to lean forward a bit more to compensate for the lack of mobility.

3. Anthropometry. Limb/torso length will also have an effect the force vectors, and therefore bar placement.


Bottom Line: Place the bar where it feels comfortable, allows you to hit sufficient depth (hip crease below the patella) while keeping your knees inline with the toes with a lordic curve in the spine.

No need to get too nit picky, as long as you're consistently squatting with decent form and progressively getting stronger, that is the key.



[Edited on June 1, 2011 at 10:57 AM. Reason : ]]

6/1/2011 10:54:18 AM

in my noobishness, i've always gone double overhand, just felt the most natural.

only been a slight problem so far on the last lift of the working set last night and started looking into the mixed grip some when i got home.

hadn't heard of the hook grip.

guess some experimentation is in order..

6/1/2011 10:54:27 AM

So I refuse to turn on my a/c in my apartment (yay $23 power bills!) and as such it's about 81-83 degrees when I work out. Is the copious amount of sweating (while staying hydrated) helpful or am I just flirting with heat exhaustion?

6/1/2011 10:55:09 AM

You'll lose more water weight, that's for sure.

But really, that doesn't seem like a smart idea.

6/1/2011 11:03:37 AM

As long as you stay hydrated, I don't really see it being a big problem.

6/1/2011 11:22:16 AM

Excellent. Thanks!

6/1/2011 11:29:45 AM

I, too, work out in an non-AC house. I just drink about twice as much water and sweat my ass off.

6/1/2011 11:47:16 AM

The only thing that I don't like doing in the heat is yoga. Trying to grab and balance onto slippery appendages is not very fun.

6/1/2011 12:20:12 PM

Deadlift grip...

I do pretty much what the caption says, but unless I go below sets of 3, I do alternate. It may meerly be coincidental, but the one time I was having upper back issues, it was during a time I was not alternating. Granted, my biggest weakness is SLEEP, and thus causes me to skirt overtaining as a result of impaired recovery time.


Also, some of the timely posts by both Maximus and Elusis have me LOLing.

6/1/2011 12:30:32 PM

Just had some bloodwork done. The only abnormality is they said I have slightly higher creatinine levels than the norm. I did some research and it appears people who weight train often have higher creatinine levels. Have you guys run into this? I'm obviously going to advise my primary care physician but I wanted a 2nd opinion.

Thanks!

6/1/2011 12:32:52 PM

Did you workout before or in the day before?

6/1/2011 12:36:50 PM

I don't remember. I think I did my normal 5 mile run before hand. I typically do pushups/pullups/sit ups before bed some nights. I may have gone to the gym beforehand.

6/1/2011 12:39:16 PM

I asked a friend who's mom is a doctor and he said while you're developing muscle your creatinine levels will be higher than the norm.

6/1/2011 12:47:52 PM

I did more research on the Paleo diet and I don't think it is for me. I think there are other diets that I will enjoy a lot more than this one. But I think I will still try to decrease my carb input.

6/1/2011 3:15:23 PM

why even squat with the bar on your back?

i mean, shit, i routinely overhead squat 1,500 lbs. take that louie simmons!

and for hand placement, i typically only deadlift one handed on dumbells. 800 lb dumbells. for 2500 reps per set. 5 sets. don't want to overdo it.

i bought a bench press shirt too. made from ethiopian abdominal wall bodies. it added a good 700 lbs to my incline bench press, which is now 28 short tonnes.

[Edited on June 1, 2011 at 4:20 PM. Reason : sets]

6/1/2011 4:19:57 PM

Quote :

"this is what happens when I lift weights. About 25 to 30 lbs heavier there."

I would go back to the weights....

6/1/2011 7:42:38 PM

Unfortunately, it's hard to shop for clothing if you're an extremely muscular woman.

6/2/2011 6:41:34 AM

box squats with stacked up plates on the ground brought the unsolicited advice guys out of the box this morning. yay.

(dude you're wearing a mesh shirt and construction boots, a gay porn 'stach and jorts. i appreciate it, but let me work ok.)

6/2/2011 9:26:16 AM

^what did they say?

Anyway, I was thinking I need to buy some weightlifting shoes or bring my VFFs to the weight room. I'm leaning towards the VFFs at the moment. Anyone else do this?

6/2/2011 9:44:22 AM

that i wasn't looking high enough. that mirrors were the worst thing to ever have been put into a gym. to focus my eyes on the ceiling when squatting. (?????)

not sure about any of that.

then later i was doing t-bar rows and he asked why i'd do that instead of the hammer strength rows which were a vastly superior exercise.

[Edited on June 2, 2011 at 9:58 AM. Reason : idk man]

6/2/2011 9:56:24 AM

facepalm

6/2/2011 9:58:29 AM

Quote :

"Unfortunately, it's hard to shop for clothing if you're an extremely muscular woman."

it is!

i've noticed that more muscle makes curves less defined.
i'm sure because of the fat decrease.


at least it did for me.

6/2/2011 9:59:46 AM

lol at the unsolicited advice

6/2/2011 10:03:18 AM