*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

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Psycho Sonny said:
+1

you could have a problem, or serious muscle wastage in your legs.

what is your height, age and weight. there is no way you should be incline benching 90kg and struggling to squat 15kg, 15kg is literally nothing when it comes to squats, when i did my first ever squat i started with 60kg and even that was extremely light for me.
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5'4- 61kg

may be as mylegs are pretty tired mostof the week as I run 4 times a week - each session 8-14k- about 35-40k a week
 
Buckster, what's your feet position like when you squat and how low would you say you go? Do a squat now with no weight, do you have any trouble getting calfs and hams to touch and getting back up while remaining stable?
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Buckster, what's your feet position like when you squat and how low would you say you go? Do a squat now with no weight, do you have any trouble getting calfs and hams to touch and getting back up while remaining stable?
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I personally am finding it hard when squatting due to it feeling as if i'm constantly on the ball of my feet. Then I feel as though i'm going to literally fall back and keel over on to my self. Finding it hard to squat anything over 50 - 60KG (down to the floor). I weight about 57KG
 
Psycho Sonny said:
it helps you poo in fields better
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not just fields

pedestalsquattoilet.jpg
 
Meloco said:
I personally am finding it hard when squatting due to it feeling as if i'm constantly on the ball of my feet. Then I feel as though i'm going to literally fall back and keel over on to my self. Finding it hard to squat anything over 50 - 60KG (down to the floor). I weight about 57KG
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A lot of people suffer this when starting to squat. Concentrate on lifting your toes up so you're not putting any weight on them and push the floor away from your with your heels. You'll probably find yourself falling back more initially, but it'll pay off.

Just practice without a bar, feet as straight as possible (maybe pointing out 15 degrees or so if flexibility is an issue) a bit wider than shoulder width with toes raised. Rest your hands on your shoulders with your arms crossed, lower yourself slowly, pause at the bottom (you should be able to hold yourself here with no effort at all, babies do it all the time) then squat up relatively fast, looking straight ahead.

I find if I do a set of 10 or 15 of those with very strict form before adding weight, it becomes SO much easier and more natural.
 
Mansize_tissue said:
Buckster, what's your feet position like when you squat and how low would you say you go? Do a squat now with no weight, do you have any trouble getting calfs and hams to touch and getting back up while remaining stable?
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hi thanks for reply- just tried no issues - I prob just wasn't trying hard enough today...

I perhaps was going to far down - lowest point bottom about 6-7 inches off ground
 
No problem ;)

You can't really squat too low, the lower the better! As long as you're not 'bouncing' at the bottom of the rep. It's probably just a mixture o fatigue from all the running and generally being new to the exercise. The weight should shoot up in no time.
 
Stumble Bum said:
Can someone tell me what's so great about squatting, it's all people seem to go on about on these forums???

Anyone care to enlighten me?
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A not particularly technical reply - the muscle mass in your legs is significant compared to the muscle mass in the rest of your body so you've got to make sure you work them well for a few reasons, in no particular order a) your body 'prefers' symmetry so will try to even up, if you're only working out arms and ignoring everything else then you're hindering growth, b) working big muscles releases more hormones that promote growth, c) compared to a lot of possible exercises at the gym squats or deadlifts are fairly functional in that they're actions you'd quite possibly perform in everyday life regularly even without trying d) it's fun in a slightly weird masochistic way.

There's doubtless more reasons but that might get you started. I'm certainly missing not being able to do a full range of exercise at the moment.
 
well I am an idiot, was doing 5x5 on mirror posing today after a shower. got a searing pain through my left shoulder and now i cant move it, if i try its v painful
 
Decided to bring overhead squats back into my life, just using them as a full body warmup. Not tried them for a few months but still (just) managed a couple of triples with 60, so not bad.

Maybe this year i'll be able to get a BW OHS.
 
Had a really decent back session yesterday despite having done complexes with a heavy weight (for me) the day before.
About to do another cosgrove complex. Actually loving them, so fast and realllllly feel the effort they take.
 
Stumble Bum said:
Can someone tell me what's so great about squatting, it's all people seem to go on about on these forums???

Anyone care to enlighten me?
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How can someone not know?! I just don't even..... :'(
:mad:

This might come across as aggressive, but you've touched a nerve :p

I really hope you haven't spent much time at the gym.

semi-pro waster said:
A not particularly technical reply - the muscle mass in your legs is significant compared to the muscle mass in the rest of your body so you've got to make sure you work them well for a few reasons, in no particular order a) your body 'prefers' symmetry so will try to even up, if you're only working out arms and ignoring everything else then you're hindering growth, b) working big muscles releases more hormones that promote growth, c) compared to a lot of possible exercises at the gym squats or deadlifts are fairly functional in that they're actions you'd quite possibly perform in everyday life regularly even without trying d) it's fun in a slightly weird masochistic way.

There's doubtless more reasons but that might get you started. I'm certainly missing not being able to do a full range of exercise at the moment.
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^this covers most of the reasons.

Squatting is THE functional exercise. It has the broadest carry over to sports; name a sport that involves moving yourself with your legs and squatting will probably make you better at it. Don't be fooled into thinking the leg press is a substitute, it isn't. Hip drive is what's important.

It is also considered to be THE test of strength by many, especially in powerlifting circles.

People who are really serious about training (even less strength orientated bodybuilding circles) don't care what you can bicep curl or tricep kickback, because they are totally meaningless non-functional movements. People who really know strength would be interested in what you could squat and deadlift, and provided you weren't an obvious chest and arms monkey they might ask what you can bench.

(I may be a little stressed right now, can you tell?! :o)

(not so) Quick session tonight in between revision. This was effectively a beach weights session in disguise ;)

Squat
60x5
100x5
140x3
170x3
180x1
190x1
205x3
210x3
215x2 could have probably had three, but was in my rubbish gym with the bad rack and no spotters

OHP
40x12
60x8
70x5 triceps dead :eek:
65x6
60x8

Arnold press
20x12
25x8
25x8
22.5x10

French press/skull crushers/whatever they're called
ez bar+30kg x8
ez bar+30kg x8
ez bar+20kg x10 absolutely nothing left in triceps :o

Then just some cable lateral raises with short rests and 10-15 reps.

It's been so long since I did any volume! These are exercises and muscles that have been kind of neglected in the last month or two, so I thought I would give them a kick up the arse. Kind of surprised with my triceps giving up so easily, I did a 105x3 CGBP last week, but it's probably the volume. Happy with the squats, legs are still more or less unusable for walking from saturdays 100x41 squatting session, so this probably means 230kg is well within my reach.
 
icecold said:
I say go for it, I am :D

Only problem is that it's slightly more complicated. Because the weight classes have been changed all of the old records are invalid and now there are either new records or "standards". Where there are standards it means you have to equal it to set the record. For example, 66kg weight class under 23 standard is 187.5kg, and the 74kg weight class is 202.5kg. Still both doable for you imo. Even if you wait, the opens for 66kg and 74 are 212.5kg and 225kg, which I'm sure you could get given a little time. The totals are a little more challenging in each case, also bearing in mind that it's unfortunately probably the case that you haven't been squatting to full comp depth (the judges can be BRUTAL about this) and also your bench won't have been paused with commands. You could definitely do it, but you'd need some prep time.

My situation is slightly more extreme, the old squat record at 82.5 was 222.5kg which I've already beaten. But the new standard for 83kg is 247.5kg :eek:
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Interesting, thanks for the insight.

For the first time since I've been training I've been getting instant blinding migraines during squats. As squats are the first excercise in my HST programme, it's been affecting my workouts.

I can't explain it, it's really weird. I've been struggling a lot throughout this second cycle of HST. Every session I've felt dizzy. The last 2 sessions I've had this migraine issue. Everything will be fine.. come 4-6 reps, it begins. When I finished the set, I had to sit out for 5 minutes. The pain was unbearable. Eyes were bloodshot red.

Nothing has changed in my diet. I really can't make sense of this.

Any idea what it could be?
 
Hydration?

Also, although your diet might not have changed, it is possible that your requirements have if you've put on lean mass recently.

DS where do you train? Any chance you can find a gym with experienced powerlifters to chat to? Alternatively, if you fancy a session over the summer you're welcome to to come down to Oxford, the OUPLC guys will be all over you :D
 
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