OcUK Health Seekers: Post your progress pics

Looking good Benny. Like the others have said don't be disappointed about your back, just put in a little time practising your poses.
That pic looks shopped to me. Dunno who it originally was but his forearms look bigger than his legs.
 
Cheers for the comments guys.
I can lat spread fairly well but I'm not in any of the rear shots I've posted. Its more over my shoulder blades and inner back that I feel is lacking. Better posing and a month or two's hard work should sort this out!
 
raptormonkey said:
Thats what i weigh now. 16st 4. Used to train quite a bit but have not done so for ages. Too may aching joints after years of throwing weights around!! lol. Going to grow old gracefully now!!
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Well I'll be kocking on 30 soon though I still feel youthful! :D

If I can hit 230lbs @ under 15% BF I'll be one very happy boy.
 
Benny06 said:
Cheers for the comments guys.
I can lat spread fairly well but I'm not in any of the rear shots I've posted. Its more over my shoulder blades and inner back that I feel is lacking. Better posing and a month or two's hard work should sort this out!
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I can't do lat spreads for toffee. I just have lots of bulk which is all I have really :p

Shoulders are looking good, as is the chest.

Personally I'd like to see a tiny bit less BF but tbh you and I have the same mentality with regards to that - we like bulk! :)

Whilst I'm really looking forward to and NEED my holiday - and whilst I drop BF and lose some water retention, it'll be interesting how much bulk I lose, I don't think I will lose that much really - I hope!
 
Freefaller said:
I can't do lat spreads for toffee. I just have lots of bulk which is all I have really :p

Shoulders are looking good, as is the chest.

Personally I'd like to see a tiny bit less BF but tbh you and I have the same mentality with regards to that - we like bulk! :)
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Thanks:)

Yeah, there's a bit more bodyfat to come off before I go back to University. Which will be followed by a 7 day bender:eek: But I tend to go and sweat my hangovers out with some cardio.

Most of what little fat has gone has come off my arms, back and chest. The more stubborn abdominal has been affected but it won't disappear overnight. Hopefully with the right diet coupled with my regular cardio it'll slowly burn itself off and i'll be able to build some lean mass too.

Most women prefer a bit of bulk on their man. Also I think it's a bit more intimdating/impressive, not that it's what im trying to achieve (intimidation). For example a strong mans build, big shoulders, neck and some mental back taper would impress me more than a really lean cover model. No doubt lots of hard work gone into both physiques but that's just my preference.

Freefaller said:
Whilst I'm really looking forward to and NEED my holiday - and whilst I drop BF and lose some water retention, it'll be interesting how much bulk I lose, I don't think I will lose that much really - I hope!
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Yeah I don't think you'll loose much. If anything the break from training might allow your body to grow a bit more! As always take some measurements as we all know our eyes like to play tricks on us!

Slightly O/T: Yesterday I began benching with my index fingers just outside of the smooth rings on the bar. This immediatley made the weight feel heavier but didn't make the pressing much more difficult. But I could really feel it working, opening up and contracting my chest. As a result when I stalled I stalled on using my chest and not my triceps. Little bit wider for the win! :)
 
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I tend to use my middle/ring finger on the "smooth" ring of the bar. :)

I agree with you bulky > lean cover model look. But not everyone does - still although I'm no ^Tank^ - I can still carry an impressive prescence, I feel you're in the same boat as me on that one.

I'm going to get back to strength training for 6 weeks or so when I'm back from Cyprus - but then hit AGVT again in November I reckon. :) I'll load up on food, probably gain a bit of BF, but with the rugby it may well balance it out - I'm lucky that I don't store fat that much in one place. :) I wouldn't mind going super lean @ 15st but it's been a while since I've been that light! I wouldn't want to stay like that, just give it a go... meh, we'll see, holiday first! :D
 
Freefaller said:
I tend to use my middle/ring finger on the "smooth" ring of the bar. :)
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That's where I normally grip. Middle finger on the smooth ring but found just an inch wider to hit my chest more.

Out of curiosity when going really heavy 90/95% do you grip in the same place or bring it in slightly?

Benching 'wide' felt better but am fairly sure I could shift more weight with a slightly closer 'normal' (fore-arms perpendicular to the floor) grip. Though this was at the end of my full body split yesterday having just worked back so might have been why it seemed a bit heavier than normal.
Freefaller said:
I agree with you bulky > lean cover model look. But not everyone does - still although I'm no ^Tank^ - I can still carry an impressive prescence, I feel you're in the same boat as me on that one.

I'm going to get back to strength training for 6 weeks or so when I'm back from Cyprus - but then hit AGVT again in November I reckon. :) I'll load up on food, probably gain a bit of BF, but with the rugby it may well balance it out - I'm lucky that I don't store fat that much in one place. :) I wouldn't mind going super lean @ 15st but it's been a while since I've been that light! I wouldn't want to stay like that, just give it a go... meh, we'll see, holiday first! :D
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I'll be trying some more 5x5 in a few weeks time I think!

Go and enjoy your holiday!:p
 
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I don't leave till crack of sparrows on Friday so I have 3 quality training days to go! :cool:

I don't go wider or narrower with my grip when going heavy. Middle finger on the ring - no point in going silly wide as you'll just screw up your shoulders.
 
Benny06 said:
That's where I normally grip. Middle finger on the smooth ring but found just an inch wider to hit my chest more.

Out of curiosity when going really heavy 90/95% do you grip in the same place or bring it in slightly?

Benching 'wide' felt better but am fairly sure I could shift more weight with a slightly closer 'normal' (fore-arms perpendicular to the floor) grip. Though this was at the end of my full body split yesterday having just worked back so might have been why it seemed a bit heavier than normal.
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If you bring your arms in slightly you will/should push a ittle more weight but again its not a rule as it all comes down to where your strengths are. In most people its easily the triceps and thus narrowing the grip is bound to help above 90% 1RM. However for myself, as i have trained wide grip for so long at all weights i get little if any benefit, it is worth noting however that neither do i see a decrease in lifting capacity with a narrower grip.

As for the shoulder concerns, i do agree in principle that wider-than-shoulder grips will increase stress on the deltoid complex, the extent of which will come down mostly to your personal physiology. Lets be honest we all have different shoulder widths and whilst i might grip very wide and find it has little shoulder impact someone 5'10" and of narrow build may find his/her shoulder musculature significantly strained with this type of grip.

Like with all forms of training, variation is key. I believe it to be good practice to cycle your grip widths just as you would lift types or repetition ranges. When looking at using any unfamiliar technique, including something like wide benching, it is important to familiarise yourself with the tehnique prior to trying anything too strenuous. This will give ou a fair idea of how your body is responding and whether there is any risk of injury. You will definately feel a lot of discomfort even on a moderate load, say 50% 1RM if there is any physiological reason not to lift in the manner you are attempting, however it is important to be conscious of the difference in feeling between muscle strain and muscle discomfort. Some exercises are uncomfortable until your body adapts to the movement but this is distinct from the feeling of muscles being put under undue stress from poor or akward form.
 
^TANK^ said:
I got myself an extra wide lat bar (60 inches wide) lol for a little bit more stretch and thats just about my limit at 5'11.
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See thats kind of what im getting at, for many people it would be bad for the shoulders to pull so wide but not only does it suit you im sure there is also some perceptible benefit from you doing super wide pulls
 
Ultra_Extreme said:
If you bring your arms in slightly you will/should push a ittle more weight but again its not a rule as it all comes down to where your strengths are. In most people its easily the triceps and thus narrowing the grip is bound to help above 90% 1RM. However for myself, as i have trained wide grip for so long at all weights i get little if any benefit, it is worth noting however that neither do i see a decrease in lifting capacity with a narrower grip.

As for the shoulder concerns, i do agree in principle that wider-than-shoulder grips will increase stress on the deltoid complex, the extent of which will come down mostly to your personal physiology. Lets be honest we all have different shoulder widths and whilst i might grip very wide and find it has little shoulder impact someone 5'10" and of narrow build may find his/her shoulder musculature significantly strained with this type of grip.

Like with all forms of training, variation is key. I believe it to be good practice to cycle your grip widths just as you would lift types or repetition ranges. When looking at using any unfamiliar technique, including something like wide benching, it is important to familiarise yourself with the tehnique prior to trying anything too strenuous. This will give ou a fair idea of how your body is responding and whether there is any risk of injury. You will definately feel a lot of discomfort even on a moderate load, say 50% 1RM if there is any physiological reason not to lift in the manner you are attempting, however it is important to be conscious of the difference in feeling between muscle strain and muscle discomfort. Some exercises are uncomfortable until your body adapts to the movement but this is distinct from the feeling of muscles being put under undue stress from poor or akward form.
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Thanks I'll bear all of this in mind. I've read about serious injuries people have had from wide benching, don't fancy any more shoulder injuries! It felt quite comfortable, I was still able to re-rack the bar on the top hooks so isn't so wide that it's impractical/dangerous for my safety.
 
Good reading a thread like this. Reminds me of my army days when i was really into training big time!! We used to do some mind blowing stuff!! I remember once we tried what Arnie used to do, do a full hour of squats non stop between 4 of us!! We just kept going without a break. Only rest we had was when the others were squating. Max 6 reps each with medium weights.

We would do this once a week for different body parts. Boy it was hard but we had some great gains in those days.

I used to weigh 18stone then, 6ft 2 and quite ripped too!! Intense days of training plus regular army stuff!!
 
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