*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Buckster]

I said to gym instructor that I wanted to make better progress, and
therefore he derived me a new routine based on what I wanted to achieve
- so no biceps concentrated curls now (lol) and only one machine
througout the workout - so much more bias towards free weights using
dumbells. also hes told me to mix it up - reps wise to not let the
msucles get lazy- therefore now - I've got say for a given set. *12 reps
light, 4 reps max weight, 12 reps light etc etc, and I've a mix of
incline, flat, pec etc etc

tried the first workout today - and my chest was shattered at end of it
all - I actually found the 12 reps harder than the max weight reps ! -
in fact I got down at end of workout down to 10kg on each side on the
flat chest - which looking at the weights looked easy but I found
increadibly hard for 12 reps - especially after the 3 heavy etc

also I'd stupidly said I'd found chin-ups rather too easy, *so they're
right at the end now - 5 sets of 7 reps - tell you what the chin-ups are
far harder at the end of a routine !! lol

 

[Dj_Jestar]

Just about, I have trouble touching my shoulders with my hands though. I can just about make my thumb touch.

I'm the complete opposite. Can scratch my scapula, but elbows stop short at 2 inches from each other

 

[Morba]

Working sets:

Light weights and heavy weights.......

Nobody does a set, regardless of reps, with a light weight. You do it with the right weight for the task at hand.

If your max deadlift for 1 rep is 200kg, it doesnt mean that 10 reps at 140kg is a light weight, or indeed 20 reps at 90kg is a light weight.

The weight you choose is heavy at the point it needs to be, a couple of reps from the end of the set.

A light weight for a set is a weight that you do all the reps without issue, kinda like a warmup set. These are pointless for working sets.

If you are busting your balls on your last reps then you are using a heavy weight, regardless of what number is on the bar

Just putting that out there

 

[Morba]

I'm the complete opposite. Can scratch my scapula, but elbows stop short at 2 inches from each other

my elbows don't touch, my forearms won't allow them to

 

[Psycho Sonny]

was planning on doing back today, but ive had a headache all day and threw up twice earlier.

hopefully i feel better tomorrow. it sort of feels like food poisoning, the only thing i can think of that could have caused it was home made vegetable soup which is impossible because it was boiled for ages.

 

[N19h7m4r3]

Had my physio freak out at me today lol.

I didn't think I was that bad in the wrong haha.

An odd day for me anyway.

Benchpress
bar x10
60kg x5
80kg x5
90kg x3
100kg x5 ( Physio walks in and flips when she saw that, apparently I'm not allowed near that weight yet... meanie!)
95kg x5 ( She saw me drop some plates and then left, good thing she didn't see the small 5kg one get put on)
95kg x5
95kg x5

Incline Bench
60kg x5
80kg x5
80kg x5
80kg x5 ( Just as I finish physio walked in again and saw the plates on it, was not happy in the slightest. I pulled a troll face and said " It's under 100 like you said" )

Had to drop down to 60kg for my last set
60kg x5

Calve raises on the aerobic box with dipping belt.
BW x10
+20kg x10
+40kg x8
+40kg x8
+40kg x8
+40kg x8
+40kg x8

Ab Wheel rollouts
x10
x10
x10

Standing Obliques Crunches
+25kg x5
+25kg x5
+25kg x5

Barbbell Bicep curls
45kg x6
45kg x6 ( Physio gets angry, too heavy again )
35kg x8
35kg x8
35kg x8

Dumbbell Forearm curls
14kg x10 Per Arm
16kg x10 Per arm
16kg x10 Per arm
16kg x10 Per arm
16kg x10 Per arm
16kg x10 Per arm


Foamrolling, stretching and mobility.

Already tired of not being allowed to do anything heavy, I know the physio is looking out for me so I don't get reinjured. Although bloody hell I wanna do some real weight again.

GRRR!

 

[icecold]

There appears to be something gay on your bar

 

[tom_e]

One appeared in my gym the other morning I was very upset, but then I popped in this evening because I didn't get my session in this morning seen the standard of the evening gym goers and understood.
Bunch of tight vest wearing, bleach blond sporting man kids.

 

[GarethSouthgate]

As has been said, 3 meals a day is fine...What are you eating in the mornings etc?

Just need to get your metabolism going, that'll soon make you hungry

Hi, thanks for taking the time to reply.

Today I have eaten:

Breakfast - 3 slices of toast with peanut butter and a cup of tea

Late lunch - Ham and cheese sandwich with crisps

Dinner - Chicken curry (home made) waiting to be eaten


Over the next few days I have chicken in red wine sauce, fry/grill up, tuna and pasta x 2 and omlettes planned so far, will try to get some turkey sausages too.

I'm not planning on being too strict with diet tbh, just going to eat eat eat and try to keep fatty foods to a minimum. Today has been quite poor, the sandwich wasn't all that great (obviously) but I didn't want a huge meal at 3pm.

I'm having no more than 3 meals, a lot of the days I'm having 2. I think I am maybe going to start forcing myself to eat. Prior to this I would start to get a feeling of hungry about 4 hours after my last meal, this doesn't seem to happen as often. My metabolism used to be crazy, I weighed 9 stone up until the age of 23 and am 10 stone now with that one stone added being fat not muscle. :\ Coupled with not really having comfortable sleeps at night the family think I could be stressed out.

 

[Andr3w]

Did you have any snacks inbetween those meals?

You've hardly eaten anything today

 

[GarethSouthgate]

Cup of (not from concentrate) fruit juice, some squash and a cup of decaf coffee, no snacks though!

When I was working I used to eat:

Boiled eggs on toast before work.
Snack once at work.
Porridge for breakfast.
Lunch.
Fruit at break.
Dinner at home.

Granted I was a lot more active, but tbh I was still eating 3/4 meals at day once I stopped working.

Some days I've only had toast in the morning and one other meal. :s

I'm not asking for medical help btw. I'm not really sure any help will work.

 

[Skillmister]

There appears to be something gay on your bar

!! I didnt use it before but he taped it on cos it kept falling off for him. Its just pipe insulation lol barely makes a difference but ah well. Like i say, not gonna complain

 

[Buckster]

cushioning is a god send - not sure how anyone doesn't use it ?

I suppose it depends how bony/ how much fat you have bottom of your neck

 

[Buckster]

btw dumbells worked a treat today - ok no DOMS as such - but felt so tired this afternoon - you know that overall shattered feeling - so I guess thats good

 

[Brumboy]

Me and my friend were talking about how far you need to push yourself when you go to the gym. For the past week or so I've always been sore after a session at the gym but my friend says he isn't sore at all.

Is it better for your muscles to be sore or is that a sign that you've pushed yourself too far? Because right now my entire body, especially my upper body is so sore haha.

 

[Skull]

cushioning is a god send - not sure how anyone doesn't use it ?

I suppose it depends how bony/ how much fat you have bottom of your neck

It mostly depends on whether you have male or female genitalia.

 

[p4radox]

cushioning is a god send - not sure how anyone doesn't use it ?

I suppose it depends how bony/ how much fat you have bottom of your neck

I don't have any problems without it and I'm a skinny bugger with hardly any fat or muscle! Last time I used a cushion thingy I found that the bar being a couple of inches further off my back made my unstable because I was so used to not using it.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

cushioning is a god send - not sure how anyone doesn't use it ?

I suppose it depends how bony/ how much fat you have bottom of your neck

i find that it may hurt slightly (some slight bruising probably) afterwards for a day or two the first couple of times you squat after a break, but with continuous squatting there is zero pain, your body gets used to it.

 

[Psycho Sonny]

Me and my friend were talking about how far you need to push yourself when you go to the gym. For the past week or so I've always been sore after a session at the gym but my friend says he isn't sore at all.

Is it better for your muscles to be sore or is that a sign that you've pushed yourself too far? Because right now my entire body, especially my upper body is so sore haha.

depends on what your trying to achieve.

strength = low reps high weight (not going to failure)

muscle mass = high reps slightly lower weight (going to failure once per exercise)

also the more amino acids you eat/take apparently the less pain (DOMS) you feel, also the more regularly you train the less DOMS you feel.

pain can be a sign of over training, so long as you follow the above and aren't doing a crazy number of sets to failure, you should be fine. you want to damage the muscle enough that the body repairs it stronger, but you don't want to be killing the muscle so to speak.

 

[GAC]

this is something i never understand with people in gym's, but when did it become important NOT to sweat or seem out of breath.

every time i go in i get in do what i need to do and bust a gut doing it, hence i take a towel as i end up leaving a pool of sweat everywhere.