Gym achievements

[Chong Warrior]

... Is that your once rep max for your bench? Your lift some big weights but the bench seems out of place

You must have some meaty calves by the way

...

Some of my lifts are out of balance due to the injuries I've picked up this year. Also got hit by car last autumn that tore my leg muscle and knackered my lower back putting me out for action for months.
Pulled my hamstring at football 3x times this year which has severely hampered my deadlifting.

Yeah always had strong calves thanks to lots of football, running, etc.

Nice numbers, but specifically you're lucky to have the above, dumbells top out at my place at 40KG
I can do 8x36/38/40 now, which was my xmas goal, shame I have to head back to a bar to get heavier. (And pushing bars is very different).

Same here. Biggest set DB's at my gym are 95lb (43kg) to go heavier I have to use the spinlock DB's with free weights. These are even worse for getting into position as the bar sticks in my thigh... you should see the bruises they leave once the weight goes over 50kg

 

[Sem]

finally reached 100kg flat bench around 2 months ago which i think is good as i was really struggling to make gains on my bench at the beginning of the year

also upped my deadlift to 160kg hopping to reach 170-180 buy the end of the year

btw bench is for 3-5reps

deadlift 7-10 reps

 

[semi-pro waster]

Once you've got the technique right SPW try and move away from machines and use free weights - you'll get so much more out of it. And don't worry about "feeble" attempts, it's all about improving and being proud of what you've achieved. Some of the guys here have been going at it for years so it's clear that others will be at a different level.

Thanks for the advice, my reason for using the machines isn't worry about my technique. I reckon I've more or less got that dialled, without trying to sound like a tool I've worked out several times with my mate who is a PT (and a good one if the size of him is anything to go by) and he said I'm doing it pretty much spot on. The main reason I use machines is that my gym is rubbish and only has two benches, one is under the Smith machine permanantly and the other is for bench press/squats. Using machines means that I don't have to wait for the eejits who just stand around a bench or whatever for ages, I work hard then go home in about 40 minutes instead of doing about 20 minutes of my workout and another 30-40 minutes of standing around.

Tonight is a perfect example of what I dislike about going to the gym, too many people standing/sitting around at a 'station' but actually not doing anything much. I couldn't even weigh the bar for the Smith machine because of people just dossing about rather than doing something. I really couldn't care less what people choose to lift but I do care about the fact that they don't bother to do it and then get out of the way. Sure, I could probably force them off (one way or t'other) but I go to the gym to work off aggro rather than create it.

When I call my lifts feeble it is slightly tongue in cheek, I try not to measure myself against anyone else because we all start from different places and we all have genetically different abilities - you will outlift me but at certain things I'll probably be better, c'est la vie. The other thing is that I'm about 3" taller than most here but also about 3 stones lighter so I can't fairly compare myself anyway even if I wanted to, I just have to compare myself to what I was lifting before (when I wasn't doing it quite so seriously) and I know I've improved.

 

[Morba]

just ask them to move out of the way, or move to another gym
most people actually take note when you ask them if they are using some equipment

 

[semi-pro waster]

Quick bump for this. I am actually looking at moving to another gym where they have more equipment anyway but it isn't solely because of that, simply the other is better equipped and I can't justify two gym memberships. I finally got round to weighing the bar on the Smith machine and although the scales aren't very accurate it is at least 12.5kg so I'm reasonably happy with that.

Squats are now 60kg + Smith bar
Calf raises are 60kg + Smith bar
Leg press is 135kg
Tried deadlifting for the first time yesterday, 70kg + standard straight bar so about 80kg total I think which isn't totally terrible for a first attempt I reckon

I've been trying to get my legs working again recently as I've never felt the need to concentrate on them before and I really should have been since it has probably been holding back my upper body slightly.

 

[Killa_ken]

Quick bump for this. I am actually looking at moving to another gym where they have more equipment anyway but it isn't solely because of that, simply the other is better equipped and I can't justify two gym memberships. I finally got round to weighing the bar on the Smith machine and although the scales aren't very accurate it is at least 12.5kg so I'm reasonably happy with that.

Hold on, the bars round my way are either 45 or 55lbs, I know its a different country but whats going on here?

 

[Morba]

Hold on, the bars round my way are either 45 or 55lbs, I know its a different country but whats going on here?

your smith machine bars are as heavy as olympic bars?
generally smith bars are a lot less than oly bars :]

 

[semi-pro waster]

Hold on, the bars round my way are either 45 or 55lbs, I know its a different country but whats going on here?

Your olympic bars are up to 25kg? That is pretty beefy, the one at my gym is about 20kg tops and the one I'm talking about is on the Smith machine so as Morba says weighs less. I weighed the Smith machine bar by resting the scales on a bench and letting the bar rest on it, the reading was about 14kg but I'm allowing for the fact that the scales aren't accurate. Incidentally this brings me to another minor annoyance with this particular Smith machine, the bar doesn't go all the way to the ground but starts at about 1' off it so even if I wanted to do deadlifts with it I couldn't.

 

[Morba]

do you have olympic weights? a lot of gyms have smaller sized weights rather than olympic ones, meaning going to the floor could be overdoing it.
you dont have to hit the floor each rep anyway imo :]

 

[semi-pro waster]

I think the 20kg plates are olympic sized going by the weights I used when I went to a proper weights gym in Finland but the rest aren't. I'll try not going to the floor quite so much and work on my technique a bit more as my back is a shade sore today but it felt good to be trying something new. Cheers for the advice.

 

[Morba]

my gym has the smaller ones, which is quite annoying, i have had to put things on the floor to make up the few inches difference.
soon to be refitted though apparently, with those funny shapped Ivanko discs, which will be good, as they have the wholes in making them easier to carry.

 

[Killa_ken]

Yeah, we have regular olympic bars, then a different sort of bar, they seem to have much chunkier end bits and aren't the regular dull iron color, they look like shiny steel.

Havn't actually weighed them but there are signs around with measured weights on them.

 

[Morba]

Yeah, we have regular olympic bars, then a different sort of bar, they seem to have much chunkier end bits and aren't the regular dull iron color, they look like shiny steel.

Havn't actually weighed them but there are signs around with measured weights on them.

of which, none of those bars are used on a smith machine, which is what is being discussed ;]

we have the same as you in our gym, some metal ended (20kg), 2 plastic ended ones (17kg) and 2 stright bars for smaller holed weights.

 

[Freefaller]

I achieved a set of 140kg squat which I've never tried before - my legs hurt today!

This week I've mainly had a "light" week, and aiming for higher reps (12). It felt remarkably good, and in more lactic cramps than when I do heavy lifts - does that sound right? I guess you add more lactic acid when you do higher reps - the weights were about at around 60-70% of my max.

 

[Killa_ken]

I achieved a set of 140kg squat which I've never tried before - my legs hurt today!

This week I've mainly had a "light" week, and aiming for higher reps (12). It felt remarkably good, and in more lactic cramps than when I do heavy lifts - does that sound right? I guess you add more lactic acid when you do higher reps - the weights were about at around 60-70% of my max.

doh teach me to read every post

ah yes, cant stand the light weights, I regularly use them for my 1 x 20's and I feel like such a pansey, I'm this muscular guy and someone's just walked in when I'm on my twentieth rep and they're like this guys jacked on roids cant even squat 190lbs

 

[Morba]

doh teach me to read every post

ah yes, cant stand the light weights, I regularly use them for my 1 x 20's and I feel like such a pansey, I'm this muscular guy and someone's just walked in when I'm on my twentieth rep and they're like this guys jacked on roids cant even squat 190lbs

Yeah, im getting that while doing these 15s, had some bloke next to me (very small) squatting 60kg (poor form, not even hitting parallel) while i was there not doing much more and sweating like a pig haha

did get a compliment from someone this week though, regarding being the only person they have ever seen doing front squats

 

[Killa_ken]

Yeah, im getting that while doing these 15s, had some bloke next to me (very small) squatting 60kg (poor form, not even hitting parallel) while i was there not doing much more and sweating like a pig haha

did get a compliment from someone this week though, regarding being the only person they have ever seen doing front squats

Front squats! Phwoar should change your name to Rambo! Cant do those for the life of me, usually end up falling forward and making a fool of my self, quite a funny story there infact.... My gf does them quite a lot and I went along with her last week, decided if she could do them so could I and told her to you know, let the real men do it cool:). So anyway, packed on the weight and got all jacked up to do it.... ended up stepping forward into some guy doing standing mil press. Alrite I thought, try again, but no, the gf started shouting and was like watch how I do it. So there I am, in this mans man gym being taught to squat by my gf, felt a fool tbh.

 

[Morba]

lmfao, now that is funny
fronts are a *****, but they are great, i go much lower than back squats, well worth playing with to get the form right

 

[oddjob62]

Try overhead squats if you want to feel as weak as a little girl

 

[Chong Warrior]

How about clean from floor into front squat into push press into overhead squat, lower bar to floor, rinse and repeat?

I feel dizzy just thinking about it!