*** The 2012 Gym Rats Thread ***

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LiE said:
So many people have bad knees, it's quite alarming.

I find leg press worse on the knees than squatting, it's a far less natural movement.
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:( both mine are screwed. I ruptured my ACL about 10 years ago, but the surgeon did a bad job, so it still causes me issues, and during my rehab on my left leg, I managed to damage the alignment of my knee cap on my right, which is some thing I’m waiting to have an op on.

At present body weight squats cause my right leg to hurt, and heavy squats with weights, causes the graft in my left leg to hurt.
 
Skillmister said:
What? Spending 5 years doing bench and leg press isn't going to make squat form any better. A beginner to squatting is a beginner to squatting doesn't matter how much other lifting experience you have.
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Thats very true.

But it takes good form, which is why in a begineer program there is no deadlifts or squats.... (unless you have an experienced buddy to keep your form in line)

Maybe after a few months / (6 months) its time to move on, but not at the beginning.

Oh and as for cardio (cycling), I do 20 mins after weights and 30 mins on off days.

Thats sufficient isnt it, it does make me sweat all over so it must be good.
 
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opethdisciple said:
Thats very true.

But it takes good form, which is why in a begineer program there is no deadlifts or squats.... (unless you have an experienced buddy to keep your form in line)

Maybe after a few months / (6 months) its time to move on, but not at the beginning.

Oh and as for cardio (cycling), I do 20 mins after weights and 30 mins on off days.

Thats sufficient isnt it, it does make me sweat all over so it must be good.
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Thats what IceCold is here for.. He is the resident guru when it comes to form and everything mobility related :p
 
opethdisciple said:
Thats very true.

But it takes good form, which is why in a begineer program there is no deadlifts or squats.... (unless you have an experienced buddy to keep your form in line)
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Seriously, that makes no sense. You have to learn good form for everything at some point so why not do it at the start when you don't have a massive ego and feel fine shifting tiny weights.

Please tell me how 6 months lifting experience with no squats or deadlifts is going to make your form better when you do start them.
 
Should my quads be working during deadlifts?

Can't quite seem to get the glutes to activate, no matter how hard I try to push with my heels.

I did a full 10 minute warmup today so perhaps I should do some mobility instead to get the glutes alive?


Edit - I've never had a buddy/spotter/helper and I am a beginner. Just try to remember what you should be doing and use the mirrors!
 
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Skillmister said:
Seriously, that makes no sense. You have to learn good form for everything at some point so why not do it at the start when you don't have a massive ego and feel fine shifting tiny weights.

Please tell me how 6 months lifting experience with no squats or deadlifts is going to make your form better when you do start them.
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Very much this!

Learn now, with just the bar if you want.

There are only a few exercises that teach the movement patterns for squats and deadlifts, and you're doing none of them.
Deception said:
Thats what IceCold is here for.. He is the resident guru when it comes to form and everything mobility related :p
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Less this :D
 
opethdisciple said:
Thats very true.

But it takes good form, which is why in a begineer program there is no deadlifts or squats.... (unless you have an experienced buddy to keep your form in line)

Maybe after a few months / (6 months) its time to move on, but not at the beginning.
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I started deadlifting and squatting from day 1!! you can ask LiE what my form was and is like, my support was purely from LiE who and online advise.

Dont look for excuses to avoid squatting and deadlifting as a beginner.

Your knees defo sound like an issue but again as LiE said the leg press is a more unnatural movement and so could impact your knees more then squats. Also starting light and working up the weight slowly may actually help strengthen your knees. Although its only online talk, i saw many people on the stronglifts program advising that there knees used to be really bad and have got better from squatting reguarly, again though this is just other peoples accounts with no scientific support, just relaying what i have heard :)
 
sigma said:
Should my quads be working during deadlifts?

Can't quite seem to get the glutes to activate, no matter how hard I try to push with my heels.

I did a full 10 minute warmup today so perhaps I should do some mobility instead to get the glutes alive?


Edit - I've never had a buddy/spotter/helper and I am a beginner. Just try to remember what you should be doing and use the mirrors!
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A little, but it sounds like you're setting up with your bum too low. More bend in the knee turns off the posterior chain and engages more quad.

To activate the glutes, literally just squeeze your glutes at the top and then try initiating that squeeze from the bottom of the rep.
 
Delvis said:
Get some vids sigma, people can help a bit more then :)
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Will do, don't really feel like asking some random person do film me though.

icecold said:
A little, but it sounds like you're setting up with your bum too low. More bend in the knee turns off the posterior chain and engages more quad.

To activate the glutes, literally just squeeze your glutes at the top and then try initiating that squeeze from the bottom of the rep.
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Yeah, my bum is pretty low, probably just above parallel - is this too low? If I go higher I think my back takes over (well that's what happened when I deadlifted many moons ago).

I will browse your mobility thread to see if I can find something that helps me squeeze my glutes because I was trying to squeeze them but I'm not sure what's going on :( I should have an obvious feeling of my glutes working, yeah?

Will see where I get my DOMS tomorrow, I think the quads were also being activated when lowering too so perhaps that's why I feel them more.
 
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Thanks, will do.

Silly question: are glutes connected to groin/inner (middle?) leg muscles? They're pretty stiff so perhaps that's what I need to work on? I was doing those leg raises where you lie on the floor and raise your leg, compared to the woman in the video I was terrible :o :o
 
Btw, I saw Mork and Mindy in the gym today.

Mork was squatting about 110 but not even going parallel yet was making also sorts of powerlifting grunting sounds. Mindy was only lifting about 60kg but spent more time staring at the weights than actually lifting them. Both walked straight out of the gym after their last rep, no stretching, nothing.

The more I learn the more I see just how bad a lot of people are in the gym. Nobody warms up, stretches or does any mobility stuff. I'm surprised some of the people are as big as they are.
 
What shoulder exercises does everyone do?

I have been doing BB military press and DB front raise (simultaneous). But I think that BB military press and BB upright row might be better because military press targets the anterior and upright row targets the lateral deltoid.

Thoughts?
 
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