*** The 2012 Gym Rats Thread ***

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opethdisciple said:
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I seriously think you need to go back to basics, change to strong lifts and follow the routine to the letter. Start of with bar weight in everything and 40kg on deadlifts(you will need plates to raise the bar a little so you don't carry poor form).

Strong lifts forces you to add 2.5kg to 5kg per session to the compounds ( bench press, OHP, squat normally 2.5kg per session and 5kg for deadlifts.)

From what I can work out your not pushing yourself enough, and your trying to over think things. Also just ask any random in the gym to spot you on bench if it's a confidence/fear thing. Nothing worse then your head stopping your body doing what it can.
 
opethdisciple said:
Im 11 stone, I can do press ups, yea... I have skinny arms you see!
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A pressup from the floor uses about 70% of your bodyweight, so thats almost 50kg.

So you have the strength to press 50kg, just not the technique, yet.
Micro loading will add a few kg over a year, yet you should be able to press 50kg very soon tbh.
 
Delvis said:
One thing, he can't squat, knee problems I believe
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Ah yes, we'll I would still be very suprised if proper squatting didn't help with knee issues. I am no expert so this might not be the case, but still throw in leg press (I am sure I've read open is doing these at least) and maybe DB lunges as a squat substitute and then stick to the rest of the routine. As others have said, micro loading is a total waste of time, and there is no reason open should not be benching at least 50kg by now.
 
I had terrible knees before going to the gym, years of skateboarding knackered them a bit.

Since squatting they have soon become better and more pain free :)

Light squats probably would hlep his knees, again, depends on the issue he has exactly
 
Delvis said:
One thing, he can't squat, knee problems I believe
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Yea cant do any movement that involves a squat. (DL, Squats etc)

When I tried squatting it made my knee worse.

MAYBE after a year of leg pressing, if my muscles are strong enough I will be able to switch to the squat, but I 99% doubt I will ever squat again, unless, I have a successful operation.

So far, from my research and from what surgeons have told me, cartilage implantation is still experimental.

So its not looking bright.

Going back in September to see what the Surgeons have to say. MAYBE I will give it another bash, but go private and get a surgeon to do this cartilage implantation thingy..... (truth is tho, even if miraculously this was successful, no guarantee I will be able to do a squat!)

However rather than allow my legs to degrade, and the rest of my body fade with it, I have decided, to give it the middle finger and get on with it.

Fortunately I can leg press! I can do all the upper body work, and I can swim for cardio, so I can make progress.

Well I least I hope so.

I have hopes and dreams too, and I am not going to let me self get left behind, because of pain in my right knee.

----

As for routine, its basically what ICE suggested with 30mins swimming on the off days:


Bench Press 5x5
Incline DB bench 3x8
DB Fly 3x12
Barbel Curls 3x10
Plank


Pull Up's 5x5
DB row 4x10
Dips 3x10
Face pulls 3x10
Leg Raises 3x8


Leg Press 4x12
Military Press 5x5
Reverse lunge 3x8
Lateral raises 3x10
Rear delt fly 3x10
Calv Raises
Crunches 30
 
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I most certainly did not suggest crunches!

I wouldn't have suggested calf raises, but they won't do you any harm.

Give that routine a try for 4-6 weeks and see how it goes.

It's entirely possible that you could be squatting tomorrow with some form corrections, but no one can make that judgement without knowing your medical history and seeing you move. The fact that you can leg press does suggest you'd be ok, but you shouldn't push it.

Doing reverse lunges and step ups are great for knee stabilisation, so after 4-6 weeks of those you could try squatting. If you haven't already, read the exercise guide.
 
icecold said:
I most certainly did not suggest crunches!

I wouldn't have suggested calf raises, but they won't do you any harm.

Give that routine a try for 4-6 weeks and see how it goes.

It's entirely possible that you could be squatting tomorrow with some form corrections, but no one can make that judgement without knowing your medical history and seeing you move. The fact that you can leg press does suggest you'd be ok, but you shouldn't push it.

Doing reverse lunges and step ups are great for knee stabilisation, so after 4-6 weeks of those you could try squatting. If you haven't already, read the exercise guide.
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The reverse lunges/step ups, I thought that was do one or the other, or did you mean both?
 
I did mean one or the other, but if you could manage both in the same session with good form them it would be better.

If you're wobbling all over the place and finding it difficult to get quality reps, do 2-3 weeks of one and then switch. I will again stress good form; bad form could make your knee worse, good form could help it. Read the exercise guide.
 
How do you stand up from having a no2? That is the same motion as a squat (box squat). Or from a chair?
 
Morba said:
How do you stand up from having a no2? That is the same motion as a squat (box squat). Or from a chair?
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I can stand fine. It just hurts when the knee cap is under strain.

I have damaged the cartalidge in the grove where the knee cap travels. It especially hurts going down stairs.

However the one time I tried squatting with weights, I took the pain from a 4 to a 5 and havent squatted since. Pain has stayed at 5, so I know its an excersies to avoid.

I think the problem is there inst enough muslce mass in the quads yet, to take the strain from the weights away from the ligaments and bones in the knee joint.

Surely leg press is good enough, if I can add things to it as well, I can skip squats.
 
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Squatting correctly is unlikely to have made it worse. I'm not saying it can't have done, but it's much more likely that there was a technique issue.
 
opethdisciple said:
I can stand fine. It just hurts when the knee cap is under strain.

I have damaged the cartalidge in the grove where the knee cap travels. It especially hurts going down stairs.

However the one time I tried squatting with weights, I took the pain from a 4 to a 5 and havent squatted since. Pain has stayed at 5, so I know its an excersies to avoid.

I think the problem is there inst enough muslce mass in the quads yet, to take the strain from the weights away from the ligaments and bones in the knee joint.

Surely leg press is good enough, if I can add things to it as well, I can skip squats.
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I'm no doctor so that makes no sense. The flexion of the knee is less when going down stairs than standing from sitting, yet stairs hurt more than standing up?
 
HOLY RDLs! Why didn't I remember those? Use DBs if necessary.

Leg Press 4x12
Military Press 5x5
Reverse lunge 3x8
Lateral raises 3x10
Rear delt fly 3x10
RDL 3x8
Pallof press 3x10

That might seem like a lot, but lateral raises and rear delt flyes can be supersetted and don't take that long.
 
Morba said:
I'm no doctor so that makes no sense. The flexion of the knee is less when going down stairs than standing from sitting, yet stairs hurt more than standing up?
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I dont know but the surgeon was nodding his head, when I said that it hurts more walking down stairs than up.

Walking down starirs the knee is traveling in its grove and bearing your weight.

Its the cartilidge beneath that I have damaged, so it is touching bone underneath.
 
icecold said:
HOLY RDLs! Why didn't I remember those? Use DBs if necessary.

Leg Press 4x12
Military Press 5x5
Reverse lunge 3x8
Lateral raises 3x10
Rear delt fly 3x10
RDL 3x8
Pallof press 3x10

That might seem like a lot, but lateral raises and rear delt flyes can be supersetted and don't take that long.
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Whats the pallof press for? And RDL, whats this?

I'l try and take some pics of my legs today.

The left leg has wasted away more than the right, as I had a knee op on that about 6 years....

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Pallof Press is for abdominals..

And the Pallof Press is done 3x10 either side.
 
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Exercise Guide said:
Romanian deadlift
http://www.allthingsgym.com/2011/06/mark-rippetoe-explains-the-romanian-deadlift-rdl/

Single leg deadlift
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erVRy0P3BGc
Core braced, hips level on every plane

Core exercises


http://www.t-nation.com/free_online...formance_repair/core_training_for_smart_folks
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online...ormance_repair/high_performance_core_training

Ab wheel rollouts
http://www.ericcressey.com/rollouts-friend-or-foe

Dragon Flags
http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_article/most_recent/the_dragon_flag

Pallof press
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzE553my1o8

Plank
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xN1pzUm_zLI
Notice on the final video his glutes are fully tensed drawing the front of the pelvis up to the ribs and he will also be squeezing the **** out of his abs. If you can do that for more than a minute you aren't doing it right.

The plank is not about seeing how long you can stay in a press-up position with your elbows on the floor.

The important things to focus on are these, in this order and for the entire duration of the exercise:

1) keeping your back completely straight
2) Squeeze your abs as hard as you can
3) Squeeze your glutes as hard as you can <-- do not skip this

Reverse crunch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lkafd6GkaPo

Turkish get up (TGU)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDQUlshxO_8 – use of girl is optional
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