* The 2011 Gym Rats Thread *

N19h7m4r3 · 21 Mar 2011 at 13:30

TommyV said:
Yeah, knee is just about sorted now, give me 6 months and I'll have somewhat formidable wheels!

Am targetting a 300lb (so like 140ish KG?) squat before my holiday in July

Good stuff!
Setting goals is so important, I find that if I don't I go no where.

Mansize_tissue · 21 Mar 2011 at 13:31

N19h7m4r3 said:
I find with suicide grip pull ups, push presses and dumbbell chest presses are much easier.

I like training grip though, nothing like having your forearms so pumped it hurts to open and close your hands.

With the dumbbell chest press, do you have to have your wrists bent back quite a lot to stop the dumbbells falling out of your fingers?

Morba · 21 Mar 2011 at 13:34

Mansize_tissue said:
With the dumbbell chest press, do you have to have your wrists bent back quite a lot to stop the dumbbells falling out of your fingers?

No, thats bad (in any form of benching

).
It also takes away the point of doing it thumbless

Yes, you will have to drop the weight a little to make it safer, but its all good

BennyC · 21 Mar 2011 at 13:45

Mansize_tissue said:
With the dumbbell chest press, do you have to have your wrists bent back quite a lot to stop the dumbbells falling out of your fingers?

Nope.

I keep the bar on the base of my wrist so that it's not forcing the wrist back as it's resting on the base of the palm. Then I stop it slipping forward or out by squeezing it with the rest of your fingers.

It's exactly the same position as regular grip just the thumbs wrapping around with your fingers as opposed to wrapping round in the opposite direction to your fingers.

N19h7m4r3 · 21 Mar 2011 at 13:46

What Morba said.

No point in putting pressure on the wrist, keep you hand in line with your forearm, also no shame in dropping the weight a bit.

Better to get it right, then to have one fall in your face.

Chris1712 · 21 Mar 2011 at 14:18

I too like training grip, but my progress has really ground to a hault :/. I've only incorporated deadlifts into my routine since late January, but I'm already stuck at 100kg because of my grip

. Its weird as I have 200lb heavy grips which I manage ok.

FWIW, since I've scrapped my 'full body' routine I used most of last year as I assumed it would burn more cals and it was mostly machine work. Started a more normal 3 day split since Christmas, and my strength has flown up, stupid machines. I really can't wait to finish cutting down so I can eat enough to actually put on size and strength, as I'm still a little weakling lol.

Freefaller · 21 Mar 2011 at 14:20

N19h7m4r3 said:
It's always good to take a break FF.
Good to hear you're getting back into it all.

Just remember, if you struggle get that anabolic wig and eye-patch out.

Yeah having a break is important from time to time, but this wasnt really out of choice!

Delvis said:
May I ask why you was off anyway? Or was it just post Christmas syndrome?

Possibly a bit of post Chrimble syndrome, but really it's because I was doing 15hrs of week of commuting, plus 50+ hrs a week on a big project so was quite tired and just lost a lot of motivation. Also, had a couple of erm, "projects" of the female kind keeping me distracted and busy

I'm back on track now - hopefully... Cyprus in 4 weeks time, so I have 4 weeks to try and get myself back to where I want to be.

MoNkeE said:
He had a busy busy schedule with work projects, so no time I do believe

CoughSlackerCough

Yeah thanks

Freefaller · 21 Mar 2011 at 14:22

Mansize_tissue said:
With the dumbbell chest press, do you have to have your wrists bent back quite a lot to stop the dumbbells falling out of your fingers?

Joints are strongest when they have no bends in them - so try and keep the bending to a minimal.

LiE · 21 Mar 2011 at 14:22

Chris if grip is holding you back on deadlifts definitely use straps.

BennyC · 21 Mar 2011 at 14:29

The thumb is a important part of grip too not just fingers. Gripping something really thick, such as a fat bar/fatgripz, I found really works the thumb as well.

icecold · 21 Mar 2011 at 14:35

Chris1712 said:
I too like training grip, but my progress has really ground to a hault :/. I've only incorporated deadlifts into my routine since late January, but I'm already stuck at 100kg because of my grip . Its weird as I have 200lb heavy grips which I manage ok.

FWIW, since I've scrapped my 'full body' routine I used most of last year as I assumed it would burn more cals and it was mostly machine work. Started a more normal 3 day split since Christmas, and my strength has flown up, stupid machines. I really can't wait to finish cutting down so I can eat enough to actually put on size and strength, as I'm still a little weakling lol.

I wouldn't bother with the grippers tbh.

Just do static hangs for time. Set up a bar with ~120-130kg in a rack and do a couple of sets to failure.

I couldn't hold onto 200kg before I started doing this, now I'm good for ~270kg.

Freefaller · 21 Mar 2011 at 15:10

I like wrist rolls - broom handle or a bit of tubing, long piece of rope with a D-clip (carabiner), attach weights and roll up and down in controlled movements. It's harder than it looks. Plate pinches work well too in combination for a good forearm burn. Also just keep doing as much as you can without any grip aids - it takes a few years and it comes to you after a while.

However, if it's holding you back, in the mean time, straps are a good way of punching through a plateau.

Delvis · 21 Mar 2011 at 15:27

Freefaller said:
Possibly a bit of post Chrimble syndrome, but really it's because I was doing 15hrs of week of commuting, plus 50+ hrs a week on a big project so was quite tired and just lost a lot of motivation. Also, had a couple of erm, "projects" of the female kind keeping me distracted and busy

Good good

Wish I could get in the game again, sadly my body is against me

bakes0310 · 21 Mar 2011 at 16:07

Ive been doing weight lifting for 2 years now, and i feel im not getting the gains i should be. Freefaller sorted out my diet ages ago so im alright there.
Im up to 14stone, i used to be 12 stone when i used to do running.
My problem is my strength doesnt seem to want to go up on a lot of exercises.
My legs are progressing alright, but its the upper body that needs help.
My chest exercises are pretty much at a halt with progress been like that for months now. I can hardy do pullups (i could hardly do them when i was 12 stone so it aint a weight issue). My instructor talked to me about this a couple months ago and we agreed on just doing strength training in the gym. Im about two weeks away from finishing my first strength program. And i look at my progress over then 6-7 weeks so far, and there has been gains in certain areas. Just not chest and pullups.

Heres my powerlift totals if that matters:
Benchpress: 65kg
deadlift:155kg

icecold · 21 Mar 2011 at 16:31

what did your strength program look like?

How much do you squat?

Skillmister · 21 Mar 2011 at 17:02

I really wish my ankle wasnt so useless so i could squat more. I feel its not long now before it starts to fall really far behind my bench and DL.

Mansize_tissue · 21 Mar 2011 at 17:15

Regarding the suicide dumbbell benching I understand you're not supposed to have your wrists bent, I was just curious to see how it was actually performed (having never done it myself) without the wrist bending back somewhat and breaking the straight line from knuckles to forearm.

B1C3P · 21 Mar 2011 at 17:19

Thought I'd give every 1 a little update on my condition. Recently came off the prednisone, stomach seems "fine" and thats in quotations as im hoping it stays this way... Suffering from severe anxiety and apparantly im deeply depressed and I've been reffered for the 3rd time to a psychiatrist lol...

But anyway, currently on a cytoxic cancer drug as it supposably helps the colitis issue, however it's jacked my liver enzymes up so they are testing me for hepatitis now pmsl.

Testosterone has officially plummeted even further into the depths of hell, dropped from 7.2 down to 5.5, which god damn sucks because lifes a nightmare i've never been so lethargic in my life, 24/7 I feel like a train wreck, I could sleep 20 hours wake up and still feel like a recovering alcoholic... endoencrologist said he didn't want to put me on trt due to fertility issues... said possibly try HCG but then decides to go on holiday for 3 weeks and leave me in the dark LOL!.... typical nhs.

As for the gym related issue, my gains have slowed to a halt... infact i'd be inclined to say i've lost size and strength has dropped. But it's not so much that, it's so much the problem is im struggling to do gym workouts just because feel so lazy don't want to lift weight etc and get a tickling feeling when tryna lift weight.

So the ones who said im genetically gifted, it appears not... thats 1 year with low testosterone but the latest drop has really knocked me for 6...

icecold · 21 Mar 2011 at 17:38

Sad times mate

We all have our different advantages, you certainly have more than some but there's no denying you've had a poor deal in other ways.

Hope it picks up soon.

BennyC · 21 Mar 2011 at 18:28

bakes0310 said:
chest and pullups.

If you're benching with your shoulders and performing back exercises with primarily your biceps this might be why.

I'd re-evaluate your form. Can you actually feel your exercises targeting the correct muscles?

I get hardly any shoulder pump from chest, it's all boobies for me they blow up like balloons. Likewise with my lats.

*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

* The 2011 Gym Rats Thread *