*** The 2014 Gym Rats Thread ***

Man of Honour
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Gym for the last week has been a nightmare, the aircon is broken so all through this hot weather the temperature has been ridiculous. It's like a sauna in there, sweat literally pouring out of me everywhere, having to drink 2 pints of water when I get home to make up for the water loss!

I get through the best part of 2 liters even when our air con is working!
 
Soldato
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I have seated overhead press as part of my routine, but my friend has been having shoulder issues and recently his physio told him that exercises like that and military press are un-natural. The body isn't design to lift heavy weight above your head. Seems to be a lot of conflicting information when I googled this, does anyone here have any thoughts?
 
Soldato
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I have seated overhead press as part of my routine, but my friend has been having shoulder issues and recently his physio told him that exercises like that and military press are un-natural. The body isn't design to lift heavy weight above your head. Seems to be a lot of conflicting information when I googled this, does anyone here have any thoughts?

6166642689_8c41821873.jpg
 
Man of Honour
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The person in that picture is a machine. And therefore not natural. :D

As Somnambulist is suggesting, the body is perfectly adapted to lift heavy stuff above the head. It just takes a physio with half a brain to realise this. I'm not a physio, but having a physio that lifts is a very helpful resource for this sort of thing. There are paradigms in physiotherapy just like every other profession, meaning some are quite comfortable helping elderly people keep moving, and others who want to return athletes to competition after injury. You want the latter when you're injured. How can you tell? Ask them what they think of lifting weights. If they say it's bad, then run a mile.

Your mate's problems are probably caused by poor technique caused by duff rotator cuff activation/strength, shoulder positioning (traps, lats, rhombs), tight pecs... the list is endless.

Practically speaking, "behind the neck" strict pressing will stress the gleno-humeral joint far more than from the front because the angle created is very happy to cause its disarticulation (i.e. forcing the joint surfaces apart = very, very bad with any force at all applied). This is why pressing from front is much cooler.
 
Soldato
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I have seated overhead press as part of my routine, but my friend has been having shoulder issues and recently his physio told him that exercises like that and military press are un-natural. The body isn't design to lift heavy weight above your head. Seems to be a lot of conflicting information when I googled this, does anyone here have any thoughts?

I'd ask physio if he even lifts? ;)
 
Man of Honour
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I have seated overhead press as part of my routine, but my friend has been having shoulder issues and recently his physio told him that exercises like that and military press are un-natural. The body isn't design to lift heavy weight above your head. Seems to be a lot of conflicting information when I googled this, does anyone here have any thoughts?

A Lot of physios don't really know what they're talking about when it comes to lifting weights.

Lifting things over your head is a perfectly natural movement.

I'd suggest that your friend is either using bad technique, has tight pecs and/or poor mobility in his shoulders forcing a poor plane of movement.
 
Man of Honour
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An alarming number of physios have a weak grasp of their own field, never mind lifting or how to become a functional beast.

Tell him to find a new physio, and also that he has been neglecting his mobility/stretching and should stop being lax with self maintenance.
 
Soldato
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Thanks for the input guys. Just starting to take preventative stuff like this seriously, as my aforementioned friend is getting shoulder issues and my older brother has rotator cuff issues. How many of you guys do light, preventative exercises?

I usually use that big rubber band thing (thats the technical term...) to do side swipe motions, keeping my elbows tucked into my waist, some wall angels and cobra's before my workouts, but think some more on my off days would help.

Do any of these sound good (pdf file)? : http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/PDFs/Rehab_Shoulder_5.pdf

or is something as exhaustive as that for rehabilitation only?
 
Man of Honour
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Thanks for the input guys. Just starting to take preventative stuff like this seriously, as my aforementioned friend is getting shoulder issues and my older brother has rotator cuff issues. How many of you guys do light, preventative exercises?

I usually use that big rubber band thing (thats the technical term...) to do side swipe motions, keeping my elbows tucked into my waist, some wall angels and cobra's before my workouts, but think some more on my off days would help.

Do any of these sound good (pdf file)? : http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/PDFs/Rehab_Shoulder_5.pdf

or is something as exhaustive as that for rehabilitation only?

Yes. I have had some rather interesting shoulder problems recently which my (very awesome) physio has helped correct. It's taken 4 months to completely address the issue, but I'm now there. A lot of the exercises I was given (and now use) are in that PDF, but you shouldn't just go and do a load of RC work without really understanding what you're trying to achieve and why/how.

As one of my physios said, "practice makes imperfect; only perfect practice makes perfect." So you need to do the exercises correctly to ensure that triceps (for example) or deltoids don't get involved and compromise the movements prescroibed.
 
Soldato
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Yes. I have had some rather interesting shoulder problems recently which my (very awesome) physio has helped correct. It's taken 4 months to completely address the issue, but I'm now there. A lot of the exercises I was given (and now use) are in that PDF, but you shouldn't just go and do a load of RC work without really understanding what you're trying to achieve and why/how.

As one of my physios said, "practice makes imperfect; only perfect practice makes perfect." So you need to do the exercises correctly to ensure that triceps (for example) or deltoids don't get involved and compromise the movements prescroibed.

Agreed, Im very cautious about form, took me months to even dare deadlift! Thanks for the advice.
 
Associate
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Tbh, even a range of loads is a bad idea. Trying to follow any form of progression into challenging weights while you are trying to fix your form will not work.

Flopping like a fish onto a cricket ball on the floor, wedging it into the pec and anterior delt area seems to have solved my shoulder issue (I am yet to bench though). Kelly Starrett explains flopping like a fish a lot better than I can though. I'll pop this into the mobility thread too as I found this really helped a long with another video I found particularity useful.
 
Associate
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Hey guys I was a member of the facebook group for just less than a year I think and although I didn't post much I did really enjoy being in the group seeing what was going on. I was removed about a month ago but now that i've finished my summer work could i rejoin? I'll try post more often this time! :p
 
Man of Honour
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Hey guys I was a member of the facebook group for just less than a year I think and although I didn't post much I did really enjoy being in the group seeing what was going on. I was removed about a month ago but now that i've finished my summer work could i rejoin? I'll try post more often this time! :p

Of course you did. Has the wrist healed, I take it? ;)
 
Caporegime
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Hey guys I was a member of the facebook group for just less than a year I think and although I didn't post much I did really enjoy being in the group seeing what was going on. I was removed about a month ago but now that i've finished my summer work could i rejoin? I'll try post more often this time! :p

Just re request it.
 
Soldato
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On the subject of OHP , I do enjoy it a lot but its a health risk for me. The biggest issue is that I feel my back is curving to much and I will often then get lower back pains.
The weight isnt really an issue more of a posture thing as my lower half doesnt like being so static and makes the top half way to ridged - if that makes any sense! I dunno Iv only recently got into them so maybe it will sort itself out but a lot of heavy lifters seem to have that back curve when OHP but for me it gets me in a lot of bother.
 
Associate
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First attempt at a session in the gym following surgery a fortnight ago. 50kg bench was tough (Was doing 110kg in March) so I cheered myself up with some arm work. Did some stretching as I've not really moved in a few weeks and feel a lot better for that. Some bike on little resistance too.

Going to take a long time getting back into the swing of things. Slow and steady wins the race though!
 
Man of Honour
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On the subject of OHP , I do enjoy it a lot but its a health risk for me. The biggest issue is that I feel my back is curving to much and I will often then get lower back pains.
The weight isnt really an issue more of a posture thing as my lower half doesnt like being so static and makes the top half way to ridged - if that makes any sense! I dunno Iv only recently got into them so maybe it will sort itself out but a lot of heavy lifters seem to have that back curve when OHP but for me it gets me in a lot of bother.
Looking at people lifting more than you and assuming that they are doing it right is a dangerous thing.

Some lean back is ok, but the spine should remain in neutral. If your spine position changes (does you rib cage rise relative to your hips?), then you need to use less weight to control the movement.
 
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