*** The 2015 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Somnambulist]

With the amount of contradictory information online its hard to find an answer for this. Am I wasting my time eating around maintenance while trying to gain strength? Would i be better off eating a few hundred calories above TDEE?

You'll generally spin your wheels less if you provide your body with more stuff to feed off, plus overfeeding can cause an increase in metabolic rate anyway so over time you end up needing to eat more anyway to stay at the same/gain weight.

16-18 cal/lb of total bodyweight, or 10-20% above whatever your maint. roughly is, are good starting points.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/macronutrient-intake-for-mass-gains-qa.html/
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-mistakes.html/

And of course, the training has to be productive to make use of the food.

 

[eGu_Ryan]

First push day today. Managed 110kg for 8 reps on incline! Considering a few month ago I struggled 80kg for 5 reps I'm very happy!

 

[Repta]

You'll generally spin your wheels less if you provide your body with more stuff to feed off, plus overfeeding can cause an increase in metabolic rate anyway so over time you end up needing to eat more anyway to stay at the same/gain weight.

16-18 cal/lb of total bodyweight, or 10-20% above whatever your maint. roughly is, are good starting points.

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/general-philosophies-of-muscle-mass-gain.html/
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/macronutrient-intake-for-mass-gains-qa.html/
http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/muscle-gain-mistakes.html/

And of course, the training has to be productive to make use of the food.

Ill have a read of those links, brilliant thanks!

 

[GSVBagpuss]

First push day today. Managed 110kg for 8 reps on incline! Considering a few month ago I struggled 80kg for 5 reps I'm very happy!

That's a huge gain!

 

[eGu_Ryan]

That's a huge gain!

I'm still well happy about it this morning. I really neglected training incline for ages, now I do that more than flat bench everything has come up. Looking forward to my next push day on Saturday!

 

[Steedie]

I'm still well happy about it this morning. I really neglected training incline for ages, now I do that more than flat bench everything has come up.

I much prefer incline pressing movements, I feel it a lot more in my chest and get a better pump from it. Although now I've sorted my shoulders, I do get a bit more out of flat movements, so am trying to use some again.

 

[Chris1712]

Incline wrecks shoulders crew checking in. Decline is the greatest chest activation by a long way, but can only do it on Smith at current place so don't bother.

 

[eGu_Ryan]

It used to destroy mine, but since I started tucking my elbows in a bit more it feels great. No pain at all. Never do decline like, don't feel like I'm getting anything from it that I can't get from flyes/other exercises.

 

[iamtheoneneo]

Incline wrecks shoulders crew checking in. Decline is the greatest chest activation by a long way, but can only do it on Smith at current place so don't bother.

I thought most body/strength builders were in the camp that decline actually does relatively little...

 

[tom_e]

I thought most body/strength builders were in the camp that decline actually does relatively little...

Chris is actually Jesus as proven by his epic beard so he can do what he likes

 

[iamtheoneneo]

Chris is actually Jesus as proven by his epic beard so he can do what he likes

oh yeh peps can do whatever they want in the gym I have no issues with that, just saying that it wouldnt be an activity in my plan at all based on the general talk around it.

 

[Chris1712]

Well you only have to look at how your shoulders work during a bench press to surmise that the shallower the angle the more chest activation/less shoulder activation there should be?

Go and try to tense your pecs with your arms at various angles and you'll easily feel the difference, your shoulders are always gonna do more of the work at a steeper angle.

 

[Steedie]

I get nothing from decline bench press, I think it got adopted by some bros back in the day and then became a regular lift in the gym. Without wanting to sound like a dick, the only guys I ever see doing it are the new guys who have no clue

 

[mrthingyx]

Decline bench generates more EMGactivity for the pec major muscles... but does that mean you'll achieve greater gains (size/strength) from them?

Possibly not.

And besides, if somebody asks how much you bench, are you honestly going to give them a figure and say that it's on a decline, after which you'll then go on to explain a load of science to some bro that just wants to hear "'bout treefiddy" or something?

It;s like talking to a Crossfitter about the functional benefits of deadlifting something heavier than their 100RM when all they want to know is how much you overhead squat... i.e. they don't care.

 

[GSVBagpuss]

I've got 30 minutes tonight for legs - any ideas for a express train to painville? Usuaully do Squats 5x8 (plus one set paused), Bulgarians 3x8, Romanian DLs 3x8 and Good Mornings x8.

Maybe just 15 mins of as many sets of squats as I can, and then the same with RDLs?

 

[tom_e]

I've got 30 minutes tonight for legs - any ideas for a express train to painville? Usuaully do Squats 5x8 (plus one set paused), Bulgarians 3x8, Romanian DLs 3x8 and Good Mornings x8.

Maybe just 15 mins of as many sets of squats as I can, and then the same with RDLs?

Squat drop sets, goodnight sweet legs.

 

[grudas]

squats + Bulgarian split squats will kill it

 

[GSVBagpuss]

Squat drop sets, goodnight sweet legs.

I would normally do 75 kg work set - what levels would you go for for the dropsets?

 

[Darryl_1983]

Does anyone use an android app for logging workouts?

I've used Endomondo for cycling and running in the past, so something similar for gym workouts would be great.

Ideally just looking for something that will allow me to log my workouts whilst i'm in the gym, which then get uploaded onto a website, and then allow easy following and monitoring of progress etc.

 

[tom_e]

I would normally do 75 kg work set - what levels would you go for for the dropsets?

I'd start at 5kg personally and start upping the reps, then dropping 10kg as it starts to really grind.