[[[The 2022 Gym Rats Thread]]] ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

[DarkShadow]

Hey broskis,

Back again!

Decided to sack cycling off as it's too cold. The first 2 weeks of transitioning back felt like I was close to dying.

I've been working on rebuilding strength over the last 5 weeks, really surprised to hit a new Deadlift PR of 240KG X 5 after my first block!

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Do you guys wear your belts for all sessions or only above a certain weight?

I don't tend to use my belt for the first 5 weeks or so of a program as everything is under 100kg.

All squats, deads, rows, OHPs these days. Didn’t wear it much in the early days of my training, but I did once the weight got higher.

 

[Somnambulist]

Only for anything requiring meaningful core bracing where my face ends up full tomato by the end of a set.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

All my remaining whey went in the bin yesterday. Progressing fine without it, don’t feel sick anymore, can actually eat more as a result. Win win. Just making sure that I get plenty of protein elsewhere in my diet.

 

[ShortWarning]

Speaking of which. Where do you guys buy whey at a reasonable price? Does reasonably priced whey exist? Haha.

PS - By "reasonable" I mean cheap.

 

[barmyllama]

Speaking of which. Where do you guys buy whey at a reasonable price? Does reasonably priced whey exist? Haha.

PS - By "reasonable" I mean cheap.

£10 per kilo or less is my bite point. Or more accurately, I won't pay anymore. Generally I browse through Hot UK Deals on a daily basis and most protein deals show up on there.

I'd say you also have to be prepared to not be bothered about flavours if you want decent deals. My last three orders have been some kind of chocolate flavour, for example.

 

[Somnambulist]

You just have to wait for MyProtein or Bulk to have one of the bigger sales and buy a few bags then. It still ends up not being as cheap as it once, but it’s a lot closer than the ‘normal’ price.

 

[ShortWarning]

Even with Myproteins 45% off "offer" currently it's still £20 per kilo. Nothing on hotukdeals atm but I'll keep a look out.

 

[barmyllama]

Even with Myproteins 45% off "offer" currently it's still £20 per kilo. Nothing on hotukdeals atm but I'll keep a look out.

If you're prepared to give other forms of protein powders a go then Bulk have vanilla pea protein at £26.59 for 2.5kgs.

Pea Protein Isolate

Plant-Based Protein Powder

www.bulk.com

I also found this protein blend on eBay £33 for 4kg

The Bulk Protein Company Serious Protein Powder - 4kg, Strawberry for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Bulk Protein Company Serious Protein Powder - 4kg, Strawberry at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

I've used both of the above, generally to mix with Plain Skyr to add flavor. But have also mixed them with water and milk, as a shake, and they are both fine for flavour and texture. I'm not particularly bothered about either, so your mileage may vary, if you can't just chug it down.

 

[ShortWarning]

If you're prepared to give other forms of protein powders a go then Bulk have vanilla pea protein at £26.59 for 2.5kgs.

Pea Protein Isolate

Plant-Based Protein Powder

www.bulk.com

I also found this protein blend on eBay £33 for 4kg

The Bulk Protein Company Serious Protein Powder - 4kg, Strawberry for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for The Bulk Protein Company Serious Protein Powder - 4kg, Strawberry at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products!

www.ebay.co.uk

I've used both of the above, generally to mix with Plain Skyr to add flavor. But have also mixed them with water and milk, as a shake, and they are both fine for flavour and texture. I'm not particularly bothered about either, so your mileage may vary, if you can't just chug it down.

That whey is nice and cheap! Have you had any gut problems or anything with it?

 

[barmyllama]

That whey is nice and cheap! Have you had any gut problems or anything with it?

Nope.

But 95% of my diet is clean, healthy, whole and home cooked. Loads of fruit and vegetables etc, as well as a good balance of nuts, seeds and healthy fats. Whether that has any bearing on the protein powder I use is hard to say.

 

[barmyllama]

Another protein blend on "offer"

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01MUZ2X3J?smid=A3P5ROKL5A1OLE

 

[barmyllama]

And another one.

2.4KG Protein Works - Whey Protein 360 Powder | No Added Sugar & Low Fat | Protein Blend | Chocolate Silk | 2.4 Kg £20.19 @ Amazon | hotukdeals

www.hotukdeals.com

 

[arc@css]

Whole egg and unsweetened almond milk (or milk of your choosing).

There's your protein base.

 

[Gooner Leroy]

Has anyone tried the stronglifts subscription service? I've just signed for a week free trial and apart from the warm up routines, I'm struggling to see what else it includes

 

[arc@css]

Just wondering what people will make of my current back routine. All advice is appreciated.

I want to be sure that I'm stimulating all the sections of the back when training.

I usually perform the following exercises:

Deadlifts; Barbell Rows; Lat Pulldowns; Seated Rowing; Dumbell Shrugs.

I believe I'm hitting all of the back with the above but I'd appreciate the input.

 

[Somnambulist]

It’s all about how you set up and execute the movements. Arching the upper back, having the scaps retract as you pull and concentrating more on ‘elbows back’ will bias the upper back more. Keeping the back neutral, depressing the scaps and concentrating more on ‘elbows down’ and staying close to your sides will bias the lats more.

You can do a horizontal and vertical pull and they can both end up doing more or less the same thing depending on how they’re performed.

 

[meths]

Has anyone tried the stronglifts subscription service? I've just signed for a week free trial and apart from the warm up routines, I'm struggling to see what else it includes

I've used it on and off over the years and will probably go back on it shortly after a long layoff. It really is a good system for starting building strength before you move to more advanced stuff.

Main thing with the app is it lets you customise the workout with assistance exercises.

Stronglifts App: Gym Workout Tracker and Planner | Stronglifts

Get effective training programs and track your workouts with the Stronglifts app. Over 100,000 5-star reviews worldwide and 4.9 rating.

support.stronglifts.com

 

[Chuk_Chuk]

So I'm moving and I have been looking for a new gym. Due to the location i'm looking at a 16-20 min drive, one way, to get to the gym without traffic (7 miles or 9 miles depending on which one i choose). So a 40 min drive per session. 4 Sessions per week minimum.

Am i right in thinking this is a tad excessive or have i just been lucky with my gym locations in the past (last 2 gyms were within 2 miles)?

I am consdering cycling this distance, which would be great for my cardio but I'm concerned on how this will affect my lifts and performance in the gym. Does anyone have experience of cycling 30 ish mins to get to the gym? Is there anything I should be aware of before attempting this?

 

[tom_e]

So I'm moving and I have been looking for a new gym. Due to the location i'm looking at a 16-20 min drive, one way, to get to the gym without traffic (7 miles or 9 miles depending on which one i choose). So a 40 min drive per session. 4 Sessions per week minimum.

Am i right in thinking this is a tad excessive or have i just been lucky with my gym locations in the past (last 2 gyms were within 2 miles)?

I am consdering cycling this distance, which would be great for my cardio but I'm concerned on how this will affect my lifts and performance in the gym. Does anyone have experience of cycling 30 ish mins to get to the gym? Is there anything I should be aware of before attempting this?

I think you've been spoilt having gyms that close in the past. I drive approx. 15 minutes to/from my gym now and didn't even think about it being anything other than reasonable until I read your post

When I was a student my gym was a 30ish minute walk there and back, I couldn't be bothered with that these days though now I've actually got a job and things to do other than laze about and go to the gym