*** The 2010 Gym Rats Thread ***

DL'd 115kgs for 8 today, heaviest working set so far after a couple of weeks without doing them. I should really do a 1RM soon. Grip still limiting me though, no money to buy straps :(
 
All very good advice - so thanks for taking the time to respond.

I think, that at this stage I will lower the cardio slightly, until my body is in such a position to keep up.

I will read into HIIT more, I have used circuit training in the past to great effect.

Basically I will be training in the morning before work, my weights routine, followed by whatever cardio I decide to go through with. I think that the time i can save by using HIIT will see me do that more often than Solid State cardio, but its always good to mix it up.

Your welcome mate. Deffinatley agree to mix HIIT & SSC. Gives your body a break from beasting it on HIIT frequently. I'd high recommend the Tabata Protocol once or twice after a workout.

Like I mentioned take some time to learn your body and how it responds to certain things :)

Yeah I've been cutting for 3 weeks and it feels like I've been cutting for 3 years. It's all very, very painful.

That said I am low-carbing so the first few weeks are always incredibly tough, I'm starting to feel better though. I have lost more than half a stone though, and that's not all water weight.

4 more weeks of this and I get to reassess and see if I am happy with my bf%. 10-13% is my goal so here's hoping.

I feel your pain! Just finished my cut yesterday and am now bulk bulk bulk!

I found after the first few days of low carb I actually sprang out of bed in the mornings. It does get very tiresome. Remember to reward yourself and try to re-load every 5-6 days. I actually lost more weight 2 days after a reload then when I didn't reload at all.

Had my first chest session today since...ages! Had been waiting for it all day!

Went like this:
WU:
Pec Dec:
75KG x 10
82KG x 8
96KG x 6
RC Exercises

Flat BB Bench:
70KG x 10
80KG x 10
85KG x 8
90KG x 6
95KG x 4

Incline DB Press @ 20 Degrees:
27.5KG x 12
30KG x 10
32.5KG x 8
35KG x 6
37.5KG x 4

Low to High Cable Flyes
11KG x 3 sets x 10 reps

Decline Cable Flyes
13KG x 12
14.5KG x 10
16KG x 8
18KG x 6

CGBP
60KG x 10
65KG x 8
67.5KG x 6
70KG x 4

BW Dips
x 9, x 8, x 7

Also did a few sets of Lying skull crushers and Cable Tricep push downs and then fancied a quick dropset on the Pec Dec to finish.

Felt so good to have some pump again! Deffinatley earnt my DOMS today. Probaly a little on the high side for volume but first proper session so went a little crazy. A very similar format to what I have planned when I start my proper bulk training when I return home for Easter but a little less volume and slightly higher weights. Problem is I've got such good recovery from 2 months of HIIT that CV wise I've recovered but my other energy systems havent! :p

Chest pump is around 45.75" and arms literally just shy of 16". Not too dis-similar from before I started cutting. Down half an inch on the arm pump but most of that was fat. My arms look much better for it and shirt sleeves are still tight :confused::)

Back tomorrow and I can't wait!:D
 
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So, after having a complete rest-up of my legs yesterday, the pain has already subsided significantly. I'm having another day off to be on the safe side. I'll have a light jog tomorrow and see how I get on, but I think I'll hit some 'basic' HIIT on the rowers tomorrow instead. Can't kill myself too much as I've got work straight after. :p
 
Legs tonight - using this week to see what weights I will be using from monday on my new routine as outlined above, Done chest and triceps last night, feeling it good today, but thats more due to lack of weight work over the last half a year.
 
DL'd 115kgs for 8 today, heaviest working set so far after a couple of weeks without doing them. I should really do a 1RM soon. Grip still limiting me though, no money to buy straps :(

Don't bother with thr straps, simply train your grip.

If you have a bar for pull ups, simply grip and hang for aslong as you can before your grip fails. Take a 60 sec break, and repeat for about 10 minutes of hanging.

Also get some heavy dumbbells, grip, stand up straight and simply hold till grip fails, just before it fails place them down.

Take 60 sec break and repeat a few more times.

I do this on Fridays after shoulder.

Thanks to training my grip I've greatly improved my deadlifting.
 
That's what I use for T-bars :) Could also get some ropes, similar to a towel but the end should stop it slipping through your grip. Can also sling the ropes over a chinup bar and again you don't need to worry about grip strength failing.

As mentioned deffinatley train your grip and make your strength as functional as possible.

Personally I'll use straps when I exceed my grip capabilites, but until then I use my natural grip. I use false grips where ever possible to help improve my grip too. Everybodys different and I refuse to hinder my potential gains due to a lack of grip strength. Yes this means my strength isn't entirely functional until my grip catches up but aesthetic is also important to me.

Everybody is different. Straps are good when doing heavy negatives for pulling work though as you can focus on fighting the weight and not your grip.
 
If you fancy something more challenging wrap some flannels or tea-towels round. Makes it harder to grip which will obviously work your grip strength. Though you find lesser loads have to be used.

I put one of my FatGripz on one of the 45KG DB's and challenged a rather well built lad on my Level 3 course to pick it up. Couldn't shift it :p Thick bars & handles are impossible!
 
I put one of my FatGripz on one of the 45KG DB's and challenged a rather well built lad on my Level 3 course to pick it up. Couldn't shift it :p Thick bars & handles are impossible!

I love my fat gripz, I've gotten 2 other people in the gym to buy them, they love them aswell now :)
 
I love my fat gripz, I've gotten 2 other people in the gym to buy them, they love them aswell now :)

Yeah I found they're a good 'shocking' tool and obviously good when doing direct grip work. But someone on a forum pointed out that load is significantly decreased which isn't what you want really if you're trying to grow.

Not sure if they might of had something to do with the size I lost on my arms during my cut. Obviously some was going to go but might have retained more by being able to lift heavier not using them...

I'll deffinatley get my use out of them but won't be including them in every workout. Whenever I isolate forarms etc most likely will every so often.
 
Hmmm I want to go to the gym tommorow/work out and i trained my legs yesterday/have blisters on my feet so I think I'm not going to go for a run, any problems regarding recovery with training my chest/tris again even though the last time I trained them was Sunday?
 
any problems regarding recovery with training my chest/tris again even though the last time I trained them was Sunday?

Depends how hard you trained them?

The fact you're contemplating it suggests it wasn't too heavy a session?

Personally I'd choose either/or a combo of back/shoulders.
 
Depends how hard you trained them?

The fact you're contemplating it suggests it wasn't too heavy a session?

Personally I'd choose either/or a combo of back/shoulders.

Why so?

Trained back tuesday (still got doms) and shoulders wednesday so chest/tris is the only one I'm considering tbh.
 
Don't take offense just an observation.

Some people repair/heal quicker than others.

It really depends on the volume & intensity of your workout?

You could have a/another rest day? As much as we all like banging iron, you can have a day off :)
 
Don't take offense just an observation.

Some people repair/heal quicker than others.

It really depends on the volume & intensity of your workout?

You could have a/another rest day? As much as we all like banging iron, you can have a day off :)

The volume/intensity was certainly there and I think I probably do have better recovery as I'm quite young =/. Could have a rest day, but what better to do on a lonely friday night than go to the gym :p
means I could go for a run saturday, skipping sunday, Shoulders monday... Hnnnn
 
Managed half a dozen reps on my last set of 3 on the leg press for 400kg (not including the sled weight). So quite chuffed with that. I reckon I've got 454 (1000lbs) in the bag (soon) which would rock! :D Would be interested to see how I get one without doing 40-50 reps of squats and 40-50 reps of deadlifts first though! :D
 
Managed half a dozen reps on my last set of 3 on the leg press for 400kg (not including the sled weight). So quite chuffed with that. I reckon I've got 454 (1000lbs) in the bag (soon) which would rock! :D Would be interested to see how I get one without doing 40-50 reps of squats and 40-50 reps of deadlifts first though! :D

Jeeeeebus, you could nearly leg press an F1 car minus the driver :p.
 
Fffffffffffffffffffff-

One day I want to be Freefaller, all other idols are obsolete.

:o :o

Jeeeeebus, you could nearly leg press an F1 car minus the driver :p.

Well I don't know how much the sled weighs, being conservative and say 15kg, that's 415kg for 6 reps (I may have done more, I was too busy trying to push the weight! :p). How much does an F1 car weigh?

I should just go down to the gym one day not do silly amount of squats and give the leg press a go just for an ego massage! :D It's an easy exercise to be fair, and my legs are pretty strong.

Though I can see my squat over taking my deads soon, as they're really getting strong now! :o
 
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