GordyR's Beginners Guide to Bodybuilding

SK07 said:
Im still pondering weather to do a monday for cardio or not, no weights just cardio or would that be considered counter-productive as well?
Click to expand...

if its mostly legs then just keep it away from leg day and you'll be fine. The counter productive effect of cardio is only really seen when done after weights since it is affected by the hormone balances that occur after heavy training. Cardio is fine otherwise so long as it is done in moderation and with a reasonable bodyfat level.
 
Ultra_Extreme said:
if its mostly legs then just keep it away from leg day and you'll be fine. The counter productive effect of cardio is only really seen when done after weights since it is affected by the hormone balances that occur after heavy training. Cardio is fine otherwise so long as it is done in moderation and with a reasonable bodyfat level.
Click to expand...

Peh, won't bother for now then. 20 mins on low intensity after weights will be fine though yeah? I don't want to drop it out altogether.

For those of you that do Squats though, I need a solution to the weight on the back, basically whilst doing heavy squatting the bar, even with a pad on it feels like it's ripping my skin below the neck which is damn painful, maybe thinking of putting a towel around that area or something. Seems that once moving up to 160KG + it happens, which is obvious I guess.
 
SK07 said:
For those of you that do Squats though, I need a solution to the weight on the back, basically whilst doing heavy squatting the bar, even with a pad on it feels like it's ripping my skin below the neck which is damn painful, maybe thinking of putting a towel around that area or something. Seems that once moving up to 160KG + it happens, which is obvious I guess.
Click to expand...

As you go heavy losing skin is inevitable i'm afraid.

Red line on pic below is where the majority of people naturally put the bar, partially on the traps, across the middle of the shoulder and pressing on the neck.

Blue line is where I would recommend you try moving it to. Its basically on the rear of the shoulder and upper back, away from the traps and neck.

MTA99Squat.jpg


Are you squatting on a smith machine?
 
SK07 said:
Peh, won't bother for now then. 20 mins on low intensity after weights will be fine though yeah? I don't want to drop it out altogether.

For those of you that do Squats though, I need a solution to the weight on the back, basically whilst doing heavy squatting the bar, even with a pad on it feels like it's ripping my skin below the neck which is damn painful, maybe thinking of putting a towel around that area or something. Seems that once moving up to 160KG + it happens, which is obvious I guess.
Click to expand...

I use one of these bad boys: http://www.gymratz.co.uk/weight-training-gym-equipment/item179.htm

Distributes the weight well, (which I need with my dodgy shoulder) and doesn't feel as insecure as using a pad.
 
MTA99 said:
Are you squatting on a smith machine?
Click to expand...

Yep, the Smith Machine. And as much as most of you hate it, I don't have an option of not using it, there is no squat rack in my gym. Trainers there have already told me I should think about re-locating to a proper body building gym as I pretty much outlift all the machines, and could do with some heavier dumbells. It's not a basic gym, I'd say middle has pleanty of machine weights, good set of dumbells from your light weight 2 to your heavy duty 35's. As well as some benches, smith machine and proper benching equipment.

Another thing is as I've been cutting and losing quite a bit of weight I don't feel weaker, and I don't see any loss in muscle mass. It's a good thing and I hope it stays that way, my lifts are increasing which is another good thing.

@mta, I tried several ways, if I have it so it's like the first picture then it's more controlable but it feels like my skin is burning. If I have it like the second picture it feels like the bar is slipping away and the bar does move up and down the muscle, maybe if I put it in the center of both of those lines I might get somewhere, trial and error.
 
Last edited:
SK07 said:
Yep, the Smith Machine......
Click to expand...

Same at my gym, no squat rack. Not squatted on the smith for months now tho. I sit under the bench rack and box squat onto the bench. With the smith because you have to twist the bar to lock it off you'll lose a layer of skin due to friction.

The main fault with the smith is the fixed range of motion of the bar. Is not how you would squat with a free bar.....however, if you're comfortable with your technique and don't feel like you're pushing against your own body (if that makes sense) then its relatively safe. You need your feet slightly further forward than normal to make sure your body is in the right position at the bottom of the movement ie. when you apply the powwwahhh!!! :)

SK07 said:
@MTA, I tried several ways, if I have it so it's like the first picture then it's more controlable but it feels like my skin is burning. If I have it like the second picture it feels like the bar is slipping away and the bar does move up and down the muscle, maybe if I put it in the center of both of those lines I might get somewhere, trial and error.
Click to expand...

I use a little chalk on my shoulders to make sure it stays put. I can't stand any padding or a manta, they move the center of gravity of the bar off your shoulders and allow the bar to rotate relative to your body without your control :eek:

Its not slipping away. Stand sideway in the mirror, raise your arm as if you're holding the bar and you'll see that the rear part of your shoulder is actually horizontal whereas further up on your neck its actually quite a steep angle. Now which is slipping ;)

edit: I accept no responsibility for dropped bars following my advice ;)
 
Last edited:
^Hah. Well I know what im doing so no probs there :). I got the angle right since the Smith is almost diagonal. Thing is when lifting I sometimes don't hold on to the bar, just slide up and down, friend showed me this and it seems pretty good.
 
Thinking of re-designing my old program once im finished doing my current strength program. But im wondering is there any other good tricep exercises, I have push downs and I know I can do close grip dips and I already do bench dips, I don't particulary like tricep kickbacks, any other good exercises?
 
Hmm well what im thinking was adding killing three birds with one stone. No idea if this will work but give me your thoughts. So theres strength training at say 5 sets by 5 reps. Moderate muscle building/definition training at 3 sets by 10/12 reps, and also endurance training at say 3 sets of 30 reps.

Now if I did say a 3 day split hitting the same exercises on the muscle groups, would it really be considered over-training? I mean the benefits seem glorifying, hitting the muscle groups 3 times per week but hitting them in different ways, obviously leaving a day or 2 in between or recovery time, but it could work. Choosing main exercises, your compound ones of Squats, Deadlifts and Bench Press and adding in some other important ones for each muscle section it could be attainable, it would be a long workout, yes but the results hmmm?

I was thinking of hitting a 3 day split of weights like that and rotating it each time, for example Strength, muscle build, endurance. And then for 2 seperate days I could have some tough cardio sessions so im not incorporating the extreme cardio after weights as Morba would suggest against, and then possibly adding in ab exercises on those cardio days, just some simple work to chip some time off the other days.

Give me your thoughts people!
 
why not just do HST, that way you start with high reps and over the following weeks you lower the reps while upping the weight.
essentially it is what you have just said, but in a more recognised format.
 
hypertrophy specific training.
CW is a big big fan of it and is slowly converting plenty to it :]
 
can you give me an example of weights?

ive just started back at the gym doing 3 x 8 x 60kg

what kind of split over 3 days would people recommend?
 
dozer said:
can you give me an example of weights?

ive just started back at the gym doing 3 x 8 x 60kg

what kind of split over 3 days would people recommend?
Click to expand...

I'm following a HST style routine, so although I bench three times a week, it's only 2 sets each day.

I vary my reps (15, 12, 8) so it's not that useful, but for you I would go with something like.

Monday - Light
2x8 40KG

Wednesday - Moderate
2x8 50KG

Friday - Heavy
2x8 60KG
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom