*** The 2010 Gym Rats Thread ***

Started Starting Strength on Monday after being away from weights since Jan this year. Wow, I've lost ALL my strength (and I wasn't even strong before! lol) So annoying! Oh well, bit of hard work and I'll get back to and surpass what I did before!
 
Started Starting Strength on Monday after being away from weights since Jan this year. Wow, I've lost ALL my strength (and I wasn't even strong before! lol) So annoying! Oh well, bit of hard work and I'll get back to and surpass what I did before!

Keep at it buddy, don't forget to post progress on here, if anything for motivational purposes.

I'm lagging on the 'weight' front and sometimes feel like not bothering, but posting here keeps me going :)
 
sometimes feel like not bothering, but posting here keeps me going :)

You're obviously very passionate as I don't frequent here as much as I used to but I see your posts everywhere and is quite refreshing!

Just try not to become overly obsessed with your goals. To an extent the dedication & commitment is required however I've been there myself where it's at the front of my mind 24/7 and I ended up finding myself sick of it all! Building mass is a slow process so just make sure you do enjoy yourself both in the gym and out of it!

Cutting however is the complete opposite, well for me I found that it had to be at the front of my mind!

I used to get anxious/nervous/excited about training when I was at uni!:cool:
 
You're obviously very passionate as I don't frequent here as much as I used to but I see your posts everywhere and is quite refreshing!

Just try not to become overly obsessed with your goals. To an extent the dedication & commitment is required however I've been there myself where it's at the front of my mind 24/7 and I ended up finding myself sick of it all! Building mass is a slow process so just make sure you do enjoy yourself both in the gym and out of it!

Cutting however is the complete opposite, well for me I found that it had to be at the front of my mind!

I used to get anxious/nervous/excited about training when I was at uni!:cool:

Thankyou :)

I try to keep motivated, as sometimes you go home after work...and just think: 'really...REALLY, am I in the mood to go out of my home into my garage?' :p

But i've always been self contious, and always wanted to do something about my image...However now its not for self contious reasons its literally because I want to make myself better all round.

Believe me, it's high on my priorities right now, but if something more important comes up, or I need to spend more time with the other half for whatever reason, I will :)

I don't really have any 'goals' anyway....well, I'd like to be able to deadlift my weight perhaps bench half...sooooo roughely 86kg/43kg respectively I think? (???)

But in the long run, it's just nice to be able post results on here, and hopefully get good criticism :p ;)
 
I don't really have any 'goals' anyway....well, I'd like to be able to deadlift my weight perhaps bench half...sooooo roughely 86kg/43kg respectively I think? (???)

But in the long run, it's just nice to be able post results on here, and hopefully get good criticism :p ;)

You probaly already have a few long term goals but just don't realise it yet. Even if it's 'wanting to look like so and so or lift as much as so and so or x amounts of plates' which is fine and what most of us benchmark ourselves against something similar.

You'll find short term goals pop up like achieving a certain amount of repititions, improving your form or improving and weak links in lifts.

I find it's always nice to do a bit of strength training as if your mass training is going well you should make some progress when you start strength training. So every 2 months it's nice to realise you were stronger than you were back in May even if you might not have achieved some of your other (size/endurance) goals your make some progress and stay motivated.

Plus you also mix your training up at the same time and it'll help to stop you getting bored.

Nout worse than a boring routine!
 
You probaly already have a few long term goals but just don't realise it yet. Even if it's 'wanting to look like so and so or lift as much as so and so or x amounts of plates' which is fine and what most of us benchmark ourselves against something similar.

You'll find short term goals pop up like achieving a certain amount of repititions, improving your form or improving and weak links in lifts.

I find it's always nice to do a bit of strength training as if your mass training is going well you should make some progress when you start strength training. So every 2 months it's nice to realise you were stronger than you were back in May even if you might not have achieved some of your other (size/endurance) goals your make some progress and stay motivated.

Plus you also mix your training up at the same time and it'll help to stop you getting bored.

Nout worse than a boring routine!

True...I'm always looking at how I can improve form, still getting used to the 'proper' DL form...Still baffles me how you keep you chest up, your bum 'down' but push through with your hips? :p But it's coming along, and last night I think I found a new way of doing it slightely anyway...Changed my grip alos which was different :)

Also...would you recommend I stay at a certain weight for now and try and do a set amount of reps with these for a few weeks? Or keep trying to add more weight on? I think i'll get to a weight where I can control it enough, but the weights heavy enough to actually work me out a fair bit...

May seem dumb also...but with regards to 'strength training'...Is that more reps or?

Thanks
 
It's true, it's great to see enthusiasm like yours. :) Keep it up matey. :)

Thank you :)

I am trying, It's the diet I need to nail as well...But at the moment I'm trying to keep it all simple with regards to bulking / cutting...Kind of doing it on the fly as it were :p

But cheers, it's appreciated...I'll post a progress up in a couple of months, see if anythings changed :)
 
Also...would you recommend I stay at a certain weight for now and try and do a set amount of reps with these for a few weeks? Or keep trying to add more weight on? I think i'll get to a weight where I can control it enough, but the weights heavy enough to actually work me out a fair bit...

May seem dumb also...but with regards to 'strength training'...Is that more reps or?

Thanks

To be honnest do what ever you feel like doing!

The odd drop set or ascending pyramid (reps decrease as weight increases) can work very well. It'll also give you a chance to play with some heavier weights without focusing purely on strength training.

Strength training on the whole tends to be much lower volume anything from 3-6 reps maybe 4-6 sets with a much heavier load usually 80-85% plus of 1RM. Sometimes even 110-120% of 1RM when perforing negatives but these are very advanced. Ploymetrics (explosive movements) are often a part of it.

Volume also tends to be much lower as does intensity. You will rest for around 2-3 minutes to allow the energy system responsible for strength (creatine phosphate) to replenish ;)

For example if you normally bench say 40KG for 10 reps and require 90 seconds rest you won't be able to bench more weight with the same amount of rest between. It takes more out of you, short term between sets, and also long term for the body to recover.
 
To be honnest do what ever you feel like doing!

The odd drop set or ascending pyramid (reps decrease as weight increases) can work very well. It'll also give you a chance to play with some heavier weights without focusing purely on strength training.

Strength training on the whole tends to be much lower volume anything from 3-6 reps maybe 4-6 sets with a much heavier load usually 80-85% plus of 1RM. Sometimes even 110-120% of 1RM when perforing negatives but these are very advanced. Ploymetrics (explosive movements) are often a part of it.

Volume also tends to be much lower as does intensity. You will rest for around 2-3 minutes to allow the energy system responsible for strength (creatine phosphate) to replenish ;)

For example if you normally bench say 40KG for 10 reps and require 90 seconds rest you won't be able to bench more weight with the same amount of rest between. It takes more out of you, short term between sets, and also long term for the body to recover.

Cheers for the info :)

When I started last year, I was using lighter weights but doing a lot of reps, what would that come under?

However after starting again this year, now I'm just going up the scale to see how heavy I can actually lift...Which is classed as?

Reason I asked mainly is just so I can get the best out of what I can now at the start before I go 'oh, I should have been doing that or this' :)

Thank you again though, it's all very much appreciated :)
 
I never seem to get DOMS in my lats so never really feel like I've worked them enough.

Back days usually revolve around chip ups/lat pulldown, BOR's (underhand grip), T-bars, bent over cable pullover.

Maybe my technique is off? I dunno. Any suggestions?
 
I never seem to get DOMS in my lats so never really feel like I've worked them enough.

Back days usually revolve around chip ups/lat pulldown, BOR's (underhand grip), T-bars, bent over cable pullover.

Maybe my technique is off? I dunno. Any suggestions?

I never got DOMS in my lats either....until I started boxing, could REALLY feel them for the next three days or so then !
 
Probably the hottest day we've had in September and the air conditioning in the gym isn't working - lovely. I do enjoy finding the plates to be like oversized bars of soap ready to slip through your hands at any minute...

Other than that it wasn't too bad a session, my left knee felt a little tender before going in so kept the squatting fairly light but moved up to 50kg on the stiff legged deadlifts for 2x8 which felt fine and is a new PB. I really need to start progressing the rest again as I seem to have reached a point where I'm not moving as fast as I'd like.
 
Cheers for the info :)

When I started last year, I was using lighter weights but doing a lot of reps, what would that come under?

Endurance. NOT TONING! ;) If anybody ever tells you they're 'toning' slap them and walk away.

However after starting again this year, now I'm just going up the scale to see how heavy I can actually lift...Which is classed as?

Strength

It's quite simple. This is how I would break it down for you:

Strength: 3-6 reps 80% + of load of 1RM. As fast a concentric (push) contraction as possible

Mass: 8-12 reps 50-70% load of 1RM. Nice controlled eccentric (lowering) contractions. Lots of control as opposed to throwing weight around.

Examples of tempo's might be 2.0.1 or 2.0.0 - two second lowering phase, no pause, and one second push phase or in the case of a zero as fast as possible. 4.0.2 would be 4 seconds lowering, no pause and 2 seconds pushing.

Endurance: 12 reps + 50% or less of 1RM. Still controlled but not as slow reps in some cases.

Some of the above go hand in hand.

Strength training you'll see less physical growth (hypertrophy) or mass however you should still see some.

Mass training you'll probaly notice some slight increases in strength and quite possibly endurance too.

Endurance training won't really do much for mass or strength but should help to improve your recovery and is also good to throw it in every now and then to mix it up and also de-load your muscles.

Hope this helps and isnt too confusing.
 
Last edited:
Anyone on here going to compete next year? I know most people do it as a hobby but just incase anyone is

I've always said it would just be a hobby, but I've made such good gains in this last year and a half that I think another 6 months training at this level, I could easily get to competition level

So I'm going to be entering the BNBF Southern qualifiers next year. It will be a one off thing for me, but I want to say I at least did it. And to prove to myself I can have the dedication to do it
 
Back
Top Bottom