*** The 2019 Gym Rats Thread ***

[dirtychinchilla]

I've been taking this supplement called 5HPT for the last 3 nights and on two of them, where I didn't have an alarm set, it massively improved my quality of sleep. It's something I've had a problem with for years and basically used to just get high to sleep properly. Since I cut that out, my sleep quality has diminished. This 5HPT helps increase your serotonin level, and cannabis is linked to doing the same, so it's a win win for me!

 

[strumpusplunket]

Any people with experience of HST here?

I'm just coming to the end of my second cycle of my version of this programme and I've been pretty pleased with the results so far. It's definitely helped with some of my long-standing injuries: my right shoulder is now in as pain-free a state as I can remember in a long time, and my sacro-illiac area feels strong and stable (touch wood!). Still having some issues with forearm tendinopathy/epicondylitis, but that seems to be slowly improving too.

It's also pushed me past some of my most stubborn plateaus, especially on overhead pressing and incline pressing. Also seen some good improvements in lean mass over the couple of months I've been using this system.

Currently have a whole body A/B split with alternative exercises for each compound movement performed every other day as follows:

A
DB bench
Chest-supported DB row
DB OHP
RDL
DB lunges
Inc DB curl

B
Weighted pull-ups (currently holding off on these for a few weeks as it's the one movement that still flares up my epicondylitis)
Inc DB bench
Hack squat
Good mornings
BB row
Lat raises
Overhead tricep extensions
Bent-over lat raise

First two week mini-cycle is just one set of 15, followed by two two-week mini-cycles building up to 10RM then 5RM and then a week going beyond 5RM with negatives and aiming for a minimum of 20 reps total per exercise for all these latter three routines (so, for example, first day of my 10RM phase could be 10, 10, 10 but last day could be 10, 6, 4 or 10, 6, 2, 2 if necessary).

How does that compare to weekly volume for other routines? It's giving me good results right now, but I wonder a bit about the total volume going forwards. Feels like it could be a little higher.

 

[Syla5]

I've been taking this supplement called 5HPT for the last 3 nights and on two of them, where I didn't have an alarm set, it massively improved my quality of sleep. It's something I've had a problem with for years and basically used to just get high to sleep properly. Since I cut that out, my sleep quality has diminished. This 5HPT helps increase your serotonin level, and cannabis is linked to doing the same, so it's a win win for me!

Did you also change your bedtime routine? or was the only difference the 5HPT? A lot of people struggle with sleep, but also have a terrible habbit of not winding down at the end of the night and going to sleep when the body needs to. Pushing past this point is one of the biggest issues, as well as extended screen time and lights on all the time.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Did you also change your bedtime routine? or was the only difference the 5HPT? A lot of people struggle with sleep, but also have a terrible habbit of not winding down at the end of the night and going to sleep when the body needs to. Pushing past this point is one of the biggest issues, as well as extended screen time and lights on all the time.

Sort of. I've managed to more or less black out the room. I try and wind down by reading, maybe having a bath.

 

[spluff]

Thought I'd post my set up at home in the garage.
Jus need to increase the light thinking about getting led tube lighting & some motivational posters

Not long finished painting all the bricks and breeze blocks white.

Looks good bettz - that looks like the Powerhouse Cage?

I was just wondering what the width of your garage is as I want to do something similar and worried that my bench wont get out of rack very easy?

 

[dirtychinchilla]

This was my final set today. I was worried about my back. Any comments?

Edit for some context: this is the heaviest lift I’ve ever down. I nearly failed the 5th rep, definitely didn’t think I’d be able to make it! But there you go.

Hit a squat PR today too at 122.5 kg.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

This was my final set today. I was worried about my back. Any comments?

Edit for some context: this is the heaviest lift I’ve ever down. I nearly failed the 5th rep, definitely didn’t think I’d be able to make it! But there you go.

Hit a squat PR today too at 122.5 kg.

Lower the weight, straighten your back your hunched over, chest up chest up!, keep weight on midfoot not heel, tighten your rear delts/lats to better support your shoulders.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Lower the weight, straighten your back your hunched over, chest up chest up!, keep weight on midfoot not heel, tighten your rear delts/lats to better support your shoulders.

Thanks for the advice. I’ll try to do most of it!

I think that’s just how straight my back is naturally because you can see that’s what it straightens to when I stand upright. I’m going for LP here so surely I should be st like 95% of my maximum?

This was my last set...

 

[danlightbulb]

@dirtychinchilla thats pretty curved mate you're risking injury there. Have you found any youtube vids on deadlift setup?

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Thanks for the advice. I’ll try to do most of it!

I think that’s just how straight my back is naturally because you can see that’s what it straightens to when I stand upright. I’m going for LP here so surely I should be st like 95% of my maximum?

This was my last set...

Doesn’t matter if it is first or the last set. Form should not drop, especially with a lift as risky as this.

Lower the weight and work on form. The weight your are lifting is completely irrelevant, keep your ego out of it.

I have seen worse curving, but it could be better. Your spine is much straighter when you straighten up at the top. Eventually you learn the feel of a straight vs curved spine.

Work on your form, nail your form and the weight will come naturally.

Definitely watch some YouTube demonstrations. AthleanX is one of the best for cues.

You’ve done the right thing. Too many people in my gym didn’t look at their form and now can never deadlift again.

 

[mrthingyx]

This was my final set today. I was worried about my back. Any comments?

Edit for some context: this is the heaviest lift I’ve ever down. I nearly failed the 5th rep, definitely didn’t think I’d be able to make it! But there you go.

Hit a squat PR today too at 122.5 kg.

While you get congratulations for the weight, your form is not great and you are going to hurt yourself.

Take your belt off (and people wonder why I rant about them on here) because whatever you're doing or think you're doing with it is exacerbating the problem: you're lifting with your back, not your legs... And the belt is probably helping you do it. Ironically, it is probably saving you from a herniated disc at this point, but if you had never put one on you would have never tried to lift that much in the first place.

Follow CaptainRAVE's advice and imagine you are pulling the bar back to rake up your shins... This should help you to imagine you are pushing the floor away rather than lifting the bar up.

And post a video of you squatting (I can't remember if you have done already - apologies if you have), because if you deadlift like that...

 

[dirtychinchilla]

@dirtychinchilla thats pretty curved mate you're risking injury there. Have you found any youtube vids on deadlift setup?

I have indeed, but I was following the Barbell Logic podcast's instructions - feet an inch from the bar, grab the bar, bow your knees outwards, chest up, lift. Obviously I'm not doing well on the chest up part!

Doesn’t matter if it is first or the last set. Form should not drop, especially with a lift as risky as this.

Lower the weight and work on form. The weight your are lifting is completely irrelevant, keep your ego out of it.

I have seen worse curving, but it could be better. Your spine is much straighter when you straighten up at the top. Eventually you learn the feel of a straight vs curved spine.

Work on your form, nail your form and the weight will come naturally.

Definitely watch some YouTube demonstrations. AthleanX is one of the best for cues.

You’ve done the right thing. Too many people in my gym didn’t look at their form and now can never deadlift again.

OK understood, how much would you deload if you were me? It's not ego btw, it's wanted to progress for my own sake the only person watching me is me! Any tips for flattening the back out? I really think it might be a flexibility issue - not me setting up incorrectly.

While you get congratulations for the weight, your form is not great and you are going to hurt yourself.

Take your belt off (and people wonder why I rant about them on here) because whatever you're doing or think you're doing with it is exacerbating the problem: you're lifting with your back, not your legs... And the belt is probably helping you do it. Ironically, it is probably saving you from a herniated disc at this point, but if you had never put one on you would have never tried to lift that much in the first place.

Follow CaptainRAVE's advice and imagine you are pulling the bar back to rake up your shins... This should help you to imagine you are pushing the floor away rather than lifting the bar up.

And post a video of you squatting (I can't remember if you have done already - apologies if you have), because if you deadlift like that...

I've already had a herniated disc so....

I have a really bad video of me squatting. I realised after this that I wasn't squatting deep enough so I tried to change that. It's from a few weeks ago.

Edit: I feel like this thread describes pretty well what my problem is. There are a few cues in there that I can try.

 

[mrthingyx]

*snip*

Mmmm. Your squat shows a similar problem: you don't trust your posterior chain and therefore don't use it.

As Dwayne/etc. in the SS thread explains, you need to sit back; pulling the bar back against your shins is another queue for this (as well as keeping the bar close)... this basically means your quads take more strain supporting your back.

Your squat is the same: you're trying to keep the weight on your quads (either because you're shielding your back or whatever, ironically putting more weight on your back)... notice how your rock forward off your heels. Weight over the midfoot is ideal but most people can't control their squat properly, meaning the weight rocks forward.

My suggestion is this: ditch the bar and grab a heavy dumbell/kettlebell, and then use this to perform a goblet squat. Make sure you have the balls of your feet on a 1.25kg plate to encourage you off your toes. Squat SLOWLY, doing so as slowly as you need to in order to keep your back straight.

You should also have your knees a bit wider so you can really pull your knees out with your glutes: you should imagine yourself pulling your body down, with youo core resisting... this should keep the tension in the right places: you should feel tight all the way from your toes through your ankles, calves, knees, thighs, glutes, back'n'abz, shoulders and chest.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

Mmmm. Your squat shows a similar problem: you don't trust your posterior chain and therefore don't use it.

As Dwayne/etc. in the SS thread explains, you need to sit back; pulling the bar back against your shins is another queue for this (as well as keeping the bar close)... this basically means your quads take more strain supporting your back.

Your squat is the same: you're trying to keep the weight on your quads (either because you're shielding your back or whatever, ironically putting more weight on your back)... notice how your rock forward off your heels. Weight over the midfoot is ideal but most people can't control their squat properly, meaning the weight rocks forward.

My suggestion is this: ditch the bar and grab a heavy dumbell/kettlebell, and then use this to perform a goblet squat. Make sure you have the balls of your feet on a 1.25kg plate to encourage you off your toes. Squat SLOWLY, doing so as slowly as you need to in order to keep your back straight.

You should also have your knees a bit wider so you can really pull your knees out with your glutes: you should imagine yourself pulling your body down, with youo core resisting... this should keep the tension in the right places: you should feel tight all the way from your toes through your ankles, calves, knees, thighs, glutes, back'n'abz, shoulders and chest.

OK I'll give that all a go.

Just regarding my knees on the squat - I used to put my feet quite far out and consequently my knees were also further out. But I felt like I was cheating a bit so I pulled them in. You think they could go back out?

 

[mrthingyx]

OK I'll give that all a go.

Just regarding my knees on the squat - I used to put my feet quite far out and consequently my knees were also further out. But I felt like I was cheating a bit so I pulled them in. You think they could go back out?

I can't see where your knees are going (the view is from the side, not the back), so I have no idea.

 

[dirtychinchilla]

You should also have your knees a bit wider so you can really pull your knees out with your glutes: you should imagine yourself pulling your body down, with youo core resisting... this should keep the tension in the right places: you should feel tight all the way from your toes through your ankles, calves, knees, thighs, glutes, back'n'abz, shoulders and chest.

I was just commenting on this...

 

[ShortWarning]

So, I read all the notes before squatting. I've deloaded a lot (down to 60kg). I can still see that bracing is a bit of a problem. Anymore pointers?

Spoiler

Thanks guys!

 

[Syla5]

This was my final set today. I was worried about my back. Any comments?

Take the belt off, it is very reminiscent of how my deadlift used to look (although not quite to the degree of yours) regarding back curve. I always found that my belt pulled me further out of position rather then helping. Would be interested to see a 100kg DL beltless.

You need to learn to hip hinge, this one is pretty important, helps understand how to correctly load up the posterior chain.

Try doing pull through's as a warm up, good for hip hinge activation.

Learn the importance of bracing, one of the best videos I've used as a reference for this is Chris Duffins "Breathing and Abdominal Bracing for Strength" on youtube.

ITs very likely your hamstrings/glutes are a weakness that needs a bit more attention. Glute/Ham raises or other exercises that focus on these will help as well.

 

[ShortWarning]

Regarding the deadifts. Mine have started looking like the above. I've deloaded back to 100kg and it seems fine but my flexibility has got really bad lately. Somehow I've lost a lot of flexibility and have to go into almost full squat to be able to reach the bar and keep my chest out.

 

[Syla5]

So, I read all the notes before squatting. I've deloaded a lot (down to 60kg). I can still see that bracing is a bit of a problem. Anymore pointers?

Spoiler

Thanks guys!

Really not sure why you have the plates under your toes, never heard of this before, its normally plates under heals to simulate lifting shoes, but you already have those.

Your feet are to close together in my opinion for a low bar squat, you want to widen your stance by maybe 2" per side.

Definitely better then before though.