wat is going on in this thread

8/4/2011 10:59:04 PM

Quote :

"how many of you use NO-boosters pre-workout? I love taking Jack3d or NO-Xplode before a workout for the crazy pump and the mega-dose of caffeine. I'm not a big fan of creatine though."

I've used NO Xplode (probably 2 tubs), but its been a while. I honestly don't recall it giving me a huge pump. It was good for the caffeine, but nothing special IMO. It seemed to upset my stomach as well. A guy I worked out with at the time was using it too and he loved it. I guess its different for different people...glad it works for you.

8/4/2011 10:59:34 PM

Quote :

"the ban was purely a result of the crackdown on domestic methamphetamine production - same reason psuedoephedrine is so hard to buy now. "

Well, at least they really put the hurt on all the meth labs and got the ice off the streets.

[Edited on August 4, 2011 at 11:00 PM. Reason : ]

8/4/2011 10:59:57 PM

Quote :

"wat is going on in this thread"

excellent question

8/4/2011 11:01:14 PM

Quote :

"Crossfit does a pretty good bit of strength work. I will concur that it has always struck me at inadequate in terms of chest development (especially relative to how much they beat up the back)."

I can definitely understand that, it really depends on what your goals are though. For me I have no reason to do a ton of chest intensive work because I work out to get in shape and look better, not play a sport beyond work league softball (not to mention heavy bench work is not exactly the best thing for your shoulders). If you have a need for more chest work and want to do crossfit I would just supplement the workouts with it but in reality, unless you are training for a sport/activity that uses a lot of chest strength, you will most likely hit your chest enough.

8/5/2011 9:49:32 AM

after a few week break, ive decided to deload by like 25-30 lbs to focus on form, and try and work into not being nearly as quad dependent on squats/variations and deadlifts/variations. box squatzzz and things.

my hip flexibility sucks fucking ass. time to get that right. and be serious about it.

after going from running a lot to blowing my leg out, to never really training/rehabbing it right to regain the flexibility, it's quite tight.


side note: dimmel deadlifts are in fact fun as shit. when i had the gf do them, the entire weight room seemed to stop and watch her though. she didn't like that. i lol'd.

8/5/2011 10:11:07 AM

Bench Day:

Clap Behind Back Push Ups: 3x3
*Bench 185lbs 6x5+ (12 reps last set)
*Dips body weight + 105lbs 3x5
Pendlay Rows 145-185 5x5+ (8 reps @ 185 last set)
Rolling DB Triceps Extensions 3x12

*super set with reverse flys x6

[Edited on August 5, 2011 at 11:00 AM. Reason : 0]

8/5/2011 10:59:44 AM

Oh, god. Squats last today. I want to die more than normal. The squat racks were tied up for 45 minutes straight.

8/5/2011 1:39:54 PM

IMO, 3 most overlooked lifts for a stronger bench:

1) Barbell Lat Rows in the same "groove" as your bench
2) Posterior deltoid raises
3) Face Pulls with a cable

Notice none of these lifts involve your chest

8/6/2011 11:11:34 AM

Squat Day

Box Jumps 3x3
Back Squat 245 6x5+ (10 reps last set)
Single Leg Deadlift 135 5x3each leg
Clean Grip Reverse Lunge 135 4x4each leg
Abs: Standing Ab Rolls outs x 20, reverse crunch to dragon flag x 20

8/7/2011 10:21:25 AM

ME Lower Body:

Foam Box Squat: 3x3x3x3x3x1x1x1x1x1 (new 1 RM)
Romanian Deadlift: 4x6
Leg Press: 3x12
Barbell Row: 3x6
Hammer Curls: 15x12x12
Lat Machine Crunches: 3x12
Kneeling Cable Crunched: 2x16

8/7/2011 2:34:42 PM

I took a bit of a break this week. I mainly did cardio a couple of days. I'm changing my nutrition and starting a new lifting routine tomorrow. I got the gatorade powder that some of you recommended. I will be using that along with Whey Protein in my post-workout. I got an order of BCAA Boost for my pre-workout on the way. It should be here on Wednesday. In the meantime, I'll just use Whey Protein w/ water in my pre-workout.

8/7/2011 4:35:37 PM

Whoa! Sore hams.

8/8/2011 7:41:21 AM

Overhead Press Day

Press 140 4x5+ (6 reps last set, didn't feel very strong today)
Incline Bench 155 3x5
Weighted Chin Ups +50lbs 3x5
Lying Tricep Extensions 70lbs + ezbar 3x8

8/8/2011 1:29:42 PM

Have any of you mugs ever done pull-ups to the sternum instead of the chin? I am trying to get some "rowing" variety and was just curious of the difficulty level of doing chins at the extreme body angle (no pussy xfit kipping). The 120s at the Gold's aren't enough resistance for big back pulls and bent over rows aren't in the same groove as the bench press. I deplore cables for sheer strength (but I do like them for Bodybuilding movements and for the deep stretch) and am kind of stuck with T bar rows for now. Any help would be great.

Are any of you members at a gym with a "for real" glute ham raise bench?

8/8/2011 3:58:25 PM

I pull to the chest at all times unless I am doing weighted chins. It requires adequate shoulder mobility and strength in the smaller muscles of the upper back.

Have you tried Pendlay rows? The row starts and ends each rep on the ground. Hamstrings really tight. Bar accelerated to the chest.

8/8/2011 4:09:26 PM

Okay, advice needed, people!!! HALP! LONG POST CAUSE I FEEL LIKE IT!

1. I want to have a comically large behind. I do the butt machines at the gym with "a lot" of weights on them, like 110 lbs. on the push back machine and 70 lbs. on the abductor machine. (I prefer machines for the time being). I'm able to do 17, 15, and then 12 reps on each (sometimes 17 straight through depending on rest). Should I be doing more weight and less reps in order to increase the size of my buttocks? Are there any exercises that you can reccommend that will increase the size of my behind without adding bulk to my quads/hamstrings? Is that a physiologically appropriate/healthy goal? (ie., will developing the glutes without developing the quads/hamstrings lead to injury?)

2. Genetically, I'm supposed to be pear-shaped (and I want to be pear-shaped and live forever!). However, through the massive consumption of beer over the years, I've turned myself into an apple with a sizable midsection...can I reverse this?

3. My arms: they are weeeeaaaaak. When I do shoulder/chest machines (never with more than 40 lbs.), I'm practically crying after 12 reps because of my arms (I think it's because of my arms?!?!). However, I don't care about my arm strength...I only care about my shoulders and chest... Should I be working my arms on their own in order to get better at the chest/shoulder stuff (am I holding myself back in the chest/shoulder region?)? Or should the chest/shoulder stuff alone be considered an adequate workout of my arms? I feel like this should be a common problem for out-of-shape women that should have an easy answer, or am I alone in my total upper body weakness?

[Edited on August 8, 2011 at 9:55 PM. Reason : ]

8/8/2011 9:44:06 PM

Dead lifts, box squats, Good Mornings, single leg dead lifts, and hip thrusts are some great lifts to sculpt a fine behind.

Anything that uses heavy weight and hip extension should do the trick.

8/8/2011 9:51:48 PM

Quote :

"Have any of you mugs ever done pull-ups to the sternum instead of the chin?"

always do pullups to my lower sternum and never to my chin. Hell, every now and then I'll do rows by tucking my legs up, turning parallel with the floor, and pulling the close-grip chinup bars to my waist.

Quote :

"I want to have a comically large behind. I do the butt machines at the gym with "a lot" of weights on them, like 110 lbs. on the push back machine and 70 lbs. on the abductor machine."

you ever seen a stripper working out at the gym? they do squats, lunges, stiff-leg deadlifts, and a few hamstring exercisesto get that round defined ass. Also, keep in mind that you can train muscles around your butt to make the butt look bigger than it really is. having hamstrings that bulge out on the back of your leg will make your but look even bigger. same thing with a well developed lower back.

8/8/2011 10:52:49 PM

lunges +1

8/9/2011 11:36:22 AM

ME Upper Body

Incline Bench Press: 3x3x3x3x1x1x1 (new 1RM)
Dumbell Press: 12x12x12x9 (to failure last set)
Seated Crown Press: 4x6 (press weight overhead, return to rack, count four and repeart)
Rolling Dumbell Extensions: 4x10
Face-Level Narrow Grip Face Pulls w/ elbows tucked: 3x15
Machine Shoulder Press: 3x6
Ab Machine Crunches: 3x12
Leg Lifts: 2x12

[Edited on August 9, 2011 at 3:46 PM. Reason : .]

8/9/2011 3:46:12 PM

Deadlift Day:

DL 305 4x5+ (8 reps last set)
Super set: Front Squat 155 3x5+ (10reps last set) + 55#DB Curls 3x6
Goodmornings 135 3x10
Shrugs + face pulls

8/10/2011 2:21:33 PM

failed @ 395 decline got it last week though

8/10/2011 6:53:08 PM

Dynamic Effort Lower Body

Box Squats @ 60% 1RM: 8x2, 1 full rep at 60% 1RM
1 Legged Romanian Deadlift w/ Dumbell: 4x7
Hip Pull Through: 3x12
Dumbell Shrugs: 3x22
1 Arm preacher curls: 3x10
Weighted Crunches: 3x12
Supported Knee Raises: 2x16

8/12/2011 8:01:36 AM

im waddling around like a retarded duck today.

last night:

box squatz 5x5 (60% 1rm)
sumo deadlift 1x5 (75% 1rm)
dimmel deadlift 2x20 (35% 1rm) - wider stance this time, seemed to work out better and could get more thrust.
hip pull throughs 3x12
OHP 4x5, 1x3 (upped weight by 5lbs from last time)
skull crushers 2x12, 1x6

abz

supposed to go for a run outside in the texas heat this afternoon. eeps.

[Edited on August 12, 2011 at 9:57 AM. Reason : e]

8/12/2011 9:57:00 AM

Bench Day:

Clap behind back Push Ups 3x3
Bench 200 4x5+ (10 reps last set)
Dips body weight + 115lbs 3x3
Pendlay Rows 175 3x5+ (8reps last set)
Rolling tricep extensions
Front Raises + Lat Rows

8/12/2011 11:19:58 AM

4^

guys with a lot more strength than me feel that "advanced" lifters shouldn't try to hit a one-rep-max on the same lift two weeks in a row. cns strain and muscle fatigue are the underlying issues. perhaps that's why you didn't get it?

maybe cycle through a flat, incline, decline cycle or do some partial ranges every now and then?

i personally like to do incline, 2 board flat, flat, incline again, decline, rack lockouts, etc every week in order to keep the strength, but not overtrain (typically with a narrow grip).

the majority of people in "that other thread" are overtraining because they have too much volume and not enough, er, supplementation to support it.

8/12/2011 3:17:13 PM

i wanna do this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ONV2RcYVbc&feature=related

8/13/2011 9:49:02 AM

that's just asking for injury

8/13/2011 10:13:35 AM

What if you miss your lift? Gonna suck.

8/13/2011 6:58:26 PM

I just tried that with no weight and I can barely do it. What the fuck.

8/13/2011 7:29:05 PM

^^, ^^^

yep

Quote :

"not enough, er, supplementation"

haha

8/13/2011 7:37:12 PM

What's the best way to build biceps? They always feel soft.

8/15/2011 9:26:19 AM

Get really strong for about 6reps in anything involving elbow flexion.

I like weighted chin ups and barbell curls.

A lot of the aesthetics has to do with body fat% and tendon insertion point.

8/15/2011 1:01:41 PM

^absolutely. Leave the isolation to guys with big biceps, already.

Reverse grip chins, bent over 1 arm dumbbell rows, narrow upright rows, seated cable rows with a close grip or neutral handle, and pullups are great for biceps.

For growth if you NEED isolation, I like barbell curls (not in the squat rack), hammer curls w/ palms in, and close grip EZ curl bar curls.

Remember that your biceps are smaller and weaker than other muscles. They are wiped after a few sets. But they recover quickly also. Try doing back and biceps on different days, really focusing on the 6-8 rep range for your back and the 8-12 for your biceps. Probably around 10 working sets for your back and 6-8 for biceps. Not everyone has a great "peak.". My arms look best extended parallel to the floor to show off the mass. This is due to my insertion very near the middle of my elbow as opposed to the outside.

Of equal importance is your triceps. They make up 2/3 of your muscle mass in your upper arm. They grow, your biceps look bigger. Same thing with Calfs and quadriceps.

8/15/2011 1:22:35 PM

^ ^^ Thanks! I already do those exercises. I've been doing around 10-12 reps/3 sets. Is that too much? Too little? Right now, I'm doing Barbell curls and Dumbbell hammer curls. My Biceps feel like they are getting tight and hard doing my workout but get soft again after I'm done.

Another question. I don't have a curl bar but thought about getting one. Do you think that's more effective with bicep curls than a barbell? Do I really need one?

8/15/2011 5:26:25 PM

EZ curl bars take the stress off your wrists and forearms. They're good for a change of pace but I would look into getting one. I use one at least half of my workouts in some form or another.

To keep the stress on your biceps, try flexing them for about 20-30 seconds every 3 minutes or so for half an hour after your workout and especially in between each set. That also works great for peak.

8/15/2011 5:48:12 PM

Simply gaining 5-10lbs may fix the bicep problem. The slower, the leaner, but doing it quickly will add mass too.

Growing new tissue is pretty metabolically and hormonally taxing. It takes a combo of proper training, recovery and nutrition.

How many chin ups can you do? Have you tried adding weight to your chin ups? How much can you dead lift and/or barbell row? What is your height/weight.

All these factors, and more, will influence what exercises/diet would be best for growing guns.

8/15/2011 5:58:51 PM

i hate hate hate bicep curls, i have no stamina

my gf and i do "linda curls" where we go 3 supersets of 12 widest grip curls, narrow curls and reverse curls. I start with the 40lb and cheat like hell...she can do the 20 all day and not break a sweat. I can't even do the 30 without gassing out. My biceps just get too tight after a while and it becomes too hard to even curl

benched 355 flat for the first time today, new PR. I do rotate angles etc...mostly switching from flat to decline. We may do decline back to back if we're at the right gym. I prefer the decline bench with the elevated leg wrap vs the fixed one, probably because it allows me to bridge a bit more. I'll throw in an incline every now and then. I'd say my decline 1RM is about 40lbs more than my flat and almost 100 more than incline...is this out of whack?

i'd do the srs powerlifiting routine if i had more gym time and the equipment and coaching, but for right now i'm just doing 5/3/1 with plenty of rest between lifting days. I'm a bit "thick" now and need to drop some baggage.

8/15/2011 8:06:07 PM

That's a pretty damn strong bench.

How long have you been training?

I am hoping to get to 300 by the end of this year.

8/15/2011 8:16:28 PM

i've been working out since jan 2008

8/15/2011 8:25:44 PM

lot of heavy lifting going on in here. I've maxed out on bench and squat all of twice in the last 6 years, and I haven't even pulled in 6 years.

8/15/2011 9:58:44 PM

woo hoo linda curls! and don't forget I moved up to 30lbs last time

but man I felt weak as shit today

no more lazy weekends and stuffing my face!

8/15/2011 10:06:52 PM

Quote :

"Simply gaining 5-10lbs may fix the bicep problem. The slower, the leaner, but doing it quickly will add mass too. Growing new tissue is pretty metabolically and hormonally taxing. It takes a combo of proper training, recovery and nutrition. How many chin ups can you do? Have you tried adding weight to your chin ups? How much can you dead lift and/or barbell row? What is your height/weight. All these factors, and more, will influence what exercises/diet would be best for growing guns. "

I really don't do chin ups. I have an Iron Gym. I tried to do chin ups before but I can't lift myself up.

Deadlift- Around 130-140.

I'm 5'10 207 lbs.

8/15/2011 10:35:49 PM

6^

Your decline should be stronger than your flat; range of motion is less and you lower the weight to the sweet spot.

Incline will jump up your flat.

8/16/2011 8:46:26 AM

ME upper body

Rack Lockout Press: 3x3x3x1x1x1x1
EZ curl Bar French Press: 6x6x5
Dumbell French Press: 6x6x5
Dumbell Shoulder Press: 3x6
Face Pulls: 15x20x20
Dumbell Bench Press: 3x15
Leg Lifts: 3x15
Weighted Crunches: 2x12

8/16/2011 11:05:12 AM

Quote :

"i've been working out since jan 2008"

that's very good, unless you're just a great big giant bastard. I started lifting when I was 15, and I think I was about 23 when I finally benched 350.

Quote :

"Deadlift- Around 130-140. "

I can't imagine that a 200+ pound dude shouldn't be doing a lot more than that on deadlifts, even if you'd never even done them before. Like, at least 225 for sets of 6-10 reps just as a starting point, I would guess.




As far as biceps go, well...I don't train like a bodybuilder. I do almost no isolation exercises. However, despite the title, I don't think this is really strictly a bodybuilding thread, so much as it's a departure from the beach body thread for people who are serious and not fucking around. Anyway, my biceps are developed well enough for my purposes just from doing pull-ups (overhand grip), various rows, etc.

8/16/2011 11:24:14 AM

yeah that's low for a deadlift - I do more than that!

8/16/2011 11:54:46 AM

http://www.exrx.net/Testing/WeightLifting/StrengthStandards.htm

I find these interesting

8/16/2011 12:28:08 PM

I could deadlift more that that. I just never tried. I would say around 200 maybe.

8/16/2011 12:41:37 PM