***Gym Exercise Guide, and Form Discussion/Feedback***

[ScoobyDoo69]

Hey guys,

Little bit of advise required please.

How do you determine what weight to rep at? Do you find your near max and then work backwards, a certain percentage depending on what reps you're doing? Any particular rest times between sets? 30sec? 40sec?

I'd say I normally operate on a 8-15 rep exercise when I do weights, but I'll be honest in that I don't do it all that often. But if I can exercise better when I do exercise then of course that would be better for me!

Appreciate the help.

 

[icecold]

It primarily depends on your goals

 

[ScoobyDoo69]

No goals as such, just general keeping fit. I don't have the desire, or have the commitment to try and put on mass, or even get very ripped. It's just something to keep with the exercise routine.

I currently run once or twice a week for around 30min or more at an ok pace. Tend to do some weights at home a night a week, play badminton for an hour one day a week, then have some chins, pull ups and pressups somewhere in between. But it would be nice to make some progress and not do the same thing all the time

Thanks.

 

[Delvis]

Just do strong lifts or something then.

 

[icecold]

Yeah, stronglifts will suit your needs fine for now. You can always re-evaluate your goals (or set some!) further down the line.

 

[ScoobyDoo69]

Thanks. The strong lift website is quite comprehensive and useful for someone like me doing bits at home. 5x5 will likely see me repping heavier weight than I am currently mind you and 3 nights a week may be difficult, but I'll give it a go.

The reason I don't have any goals as such is because I often have free nights or weekends that get taken up very quickly. Working late, overtime, social etc. I tried the gym before work thing and it was hard work, especially as it felt that I would get home from work and have no time before needing to go to bed to get up for the gym in the morning.

So a general keeping fit where I can is my only real goal. I'm OK strength wise, so strong lift could work for me. I need to look to see how I can increase my reps for pressups, chins, pullups also as despite doing sets of them regularly I don't ever seem to get better at them.

 

[wozza2k]

Been working in getting my deadlift form right before upping the weight does this look better than last time?

 

[A2Z]

Am I going low enough with hips and driving up enough with them?

 

[mrthingyx]

wozza2k: looks like I taught you to deadlift! Try moving the bar a bit closer to your shins.

A2Z: You're lifting with your back. Sit back, drive the floor away with your heels and hump that bar.

 

[icecold]

Wozza, you have some flexion in your back when you set up which is leading to your soft lockout at the top.

A2Z, not the worst, but not enough hamstring involvement. Keep your knees back and stop extending your neck.

 

[therandom]

Hello chaps,

Coming up to 3 years now recovering from a back injury. Haven't lifted properly for a rather long time but have been working hard at mobility, single leg bodyweight exercises and on my core. I'm now (relatively) confident I can start adding back in work with the bar on a regular basis.

I used to squat with a wide stance and massive forward lean. I've since decided I want to squat more upright and with a narrower stance (I understand this to be happier form for my lower back plus, regardless, squatting like a weightlifter looks much better!). I won't be adding any weight until I'm happy with how I squat with the bar, which I'm currently not.

Problems I think I have with my form at the moment are:

• Tendency towards duck feet
• Still quite a wide stance
• Forward lean
• Butt wink

I think lots of this is still down to a lack of ankle mobility. I can do a pistol squat in weightlifting shoes but quite far from it bare footed. I've consistently worked on my ankle mobility for over a year now and, although it is better, it still has a long way to go (to the point that I'm starting to suspect I might just have weird ankles/the wrong proportions to pistol bare footed!).

Here is a front/side/side/back video of me squatting.

I'd greatly appreciate all and any feedback. Whether you agree with my ankle self-diagnosis or otherwise. Watching myself time and time again makes me go a little crazy and my girlfriend has had enough squat talk too!

PS. Icecold - I need more Cardiff adventures soon (maybe without Theo this time...!)

 

[icecold]

This guy...

Improvements over last time. You won't really get away with a narrower stance due to the luxurious length of your legs. Yes, you're bar path moves forward slightly as you descend, but this isn't terrible. The only straightforward way to combat this is with a wider stance, given how much work has gone into ankle range.

You still have work to do with your core. Have you been doing the KB walks? More of this kind of stuff, plus I can show you more stuff.

I think you need to shift your focus towards strengthening areas rather than blasting mobility. Sometimes range opens up when there is sufficient stability.

Please do return, minus the Soilmaster.

 

[therandom]

This guy...

Improvements over last time. You won't really get away with a narrower stance due to the luxurious length of your legs. Yes, you're bar path moves forward slightly as you descend, but this isn't terrible. The only straightforward way to combat this is with a wider stance, given how much work has gone into ankle range.

You still have work to do with your core. Have you been doing the KB walks? More of this kind of stuff, plus I can show you more stuff.

I think you need to shift your focus towards strengthening areas rather than blasting mobility. Sometimes range opens up when there is sufficient stability.

Please do return, minus the Soilmaster.

Ta muchly.

Yep, still doing the KB walks as well as a whole host of other core stuff. Also, I can now actually do reverse crunches rather than just flopping about - which is nice.

Do you think it's a matter of my core not firing/engaging/activating or being as weak as kittens or, perhaps, both?

 

[icecold]

Definitely a bit of both.

My suspicion is that it's primarily a movement patterning/firing sequence issue. Lifting as you were it's very unlikely that you weren't firing your core when you deadlifted, for example, but the sequence, timing, and extent of the activation was probably poor.

Interchangeable steps:

- Be able to generate much stronger contractions across all of your core bits (easy ish)
- Reprogramme what your body does when you hinge at the hip (less easy)

 

[ScoobyDoo69]

Have been doing the Strong Lift 5x5 for 6 weeks now. I'm still at a stage where I'm finding the exercises not difficult. Which is fine as I want to ensure form is good.
However I'm at a point now where I'm having lift decent weights from the floor, up and over my head and on to my shoulders for squats and similar for shoulder press.

I currently have a decathlon bench press thing which is only really useful for.. benchpress. Which I can tuck away at the side of the spare room easily enough.

So I'm looking for a rack that I can use for squat/bench press/shoulder press. Ideally something that is easy to put out of the way. I imagine I'll need a seperate bench for it also.

Any recommendations? Thanks.

 

[Delvis]

Well a cage won't work unless your 4ft, as youll smack the roof with OHP, and you don't really get hide away squat racks....the only thing is squat stands? Naturally they aren't grand for bench though

 

[Assassin_012]

The info was great, definitely will read up on this as my form is pretty bad.

 

[Xire]

Ok so I have been hitting the gym a lot more in the last 2 weeks, been going around 5 times a week. I have also improved my diet, although don't get me wrong it isnt amazing, but its a hell of a lot better than it was. I am eating a lot of protein foods and less carbs, repalced any rice I have with wholegrain and same with pasta but I appear to be getting a bit of a belly? I am feeling quite bloated although I am eating more but I am eating more proper food.

Why do I look like I am getting a bit of a belly when I want the opposite? I have been weightlifting for about 10 months just never gone as hard as I am now and have never experienced this.

 

[mrthingyx]

Ok so I have been hitting the gym a lot more in the last 2 weeks, been going around 5 times a week. I have also improved my diet, although don't get me wrong it isnt amazing, but its a hell of a lot better than it was. I am eating a lot of protein foods and less carbs, repalced any rice I have with wholegrain and same with pasta but I appear to be getting a bit of a belly? I am feeling quite bloated although I am eating more but I am eating more proper food.

Why do I look like I am getting a bit of a belly when I want the opposite? I have been weightlifting for about 10 months just never gone as hard as I am now and have never experienced this.

A 'clean' diet will still make you fat if you eat too much of it.

This could also be a postural problem (i.e. lordosis) making your tummy stick out, but if it's flab, it's flab...

 

[Somnambulist]

Have been doing the Strong Lift 5x5 for 6 weeks now. I'm still at a stage where I'm finding the exercises not difficult. Which is fine as I want to ensure form is good.
However I'm at a point now where I'm having lift decent weights from the floor, up and over my head and on to my shoulders for squats and similar for shoulder press.

I currently have a decathlon bench press thing which is only really useful for.. benchpress. Which I can tuck away at the side of the spare room easily enough.

So I'm looking for a rack that I can use for squat/bench press/shoulder press. Ideally something that is easy to put out of the way. I imagine I'll need a seperate bench for it also.

Any recommendations? Thanks.

Squat stands (ones that won't topple over if you fart in their general direction), a decent bench and a couple of collapsible, height adjustable builders trestles to use as spotters. They're relatively inexpensive and rated for heavy loads - a makeshift alternative if you don't have room for a full size rack.