*** The 2011 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Freefaller]

I think my first deadlift was about 60kg... but then I found it so easy I carried on up to at least 120kg! haha! Always been my favourite exercise.

Good sesh last night, I've now signed up to a David Lloyd club - it's actually really good, great quality weights and lots of decent machines (which I seldom use). It's so nice going for a sauna after a session

Squats:

70x10
100x8
110x5
120x5
130x5
140x5
150x3
120x6
110x8

Deads:

70x10
110x8
120x6
150x5
170x5
190x3
210x3
170x3
120x6
120x6

Leg press (at last a decent leg press machine!!):

4x10x160kg

Just doing a bit of volume work to get the ol' body back into it, will start doing lower reps higher weight when I feel my strength has returned.

 

[icecold]

Is 130 still your max?

On bench? I hope not! But probably yes. I'm actually about to sack off HST (it's ended up being far too disjointed) and go back to my normal routine so I may or may not test my maxes soon.

I'm partly the same except I come from 6 months of boxing trainning and some long distance running before I started the gym 6 weeks agow but I only started to deadlift and squat for the first time last firday and I was very very sore after it but today I feel fine after it My bench is way over developed compared to everything els because of the the 5 week head start and the boxing. I'm also quite small 5.7" :'( so aren't smaller people better at deadlifting? Only 17 but I hope I grow a little more because I hate being borderline average .

Icecold, what would you suggest doing to improve my deadlift and squat? Reps/sets/how often ect... ?

Shorter people tend to have mechanical advantages, yes.

There is no set way of increasing strength, but if I was training you solely for strength then you would be doing something like this...

For deadlift:
Take 70% of your max and do it for 3 sets of 5 reps. Do all the reps explosively. Increase the weight by 5kg per week (1 deadlifting session per week) until you get to 80%. Then continue by doing 3 sets of 3 reps, and then 3x2 at 90%. Keep going after this until you get to your old max, and then in your next session test for a new 1 rep max.

This is a very simple progression, and at your current max should take 8 weeks.

Accessory work: pullups, DB row/bent over row (STRICT form - no movement in legs or change in back angle). All done with 3 sets of 5.


Squat:
Similar approach, but start at 60% with 5 reps so you're stopping at 90% with 2 reps, again, doing ALL the reps explosively. The next session work up in single reps to your old max and then see how high you can go.

The key issue with squats is going to be with form, hence starting with lower weights. Any advice would completely depend on how you currently lift, but there has been some good discussion in this thread recently (you will need to go back several pages). Adjust your increment so you spend at least two weeks at each rep range. For example, you might reduce it from 5kg to 2.5kg.

Accessory work: stiff leg deadlift, front squat and cable pull throughs (search on youtube).


Again, you will have zero progress and possible hurt yourself if you compromise your form. If I was actually training you, you wouldn't be going over ~80kg until you'd nailed the form. Don't assume you've got it yet, especially because an instructor said you do

Well you suck as well...Cant get over 75kg on squat

 

[fire_munki]

Is it too OCD to keep a spreadsheet of times, weight, body fat, excercises and the like?
I kinda like graphs to watch things change as I train more.

 

[Freefaller]

On bench? I hope not! But probably yes. I'm actually about to sack off HST (it's ended up being far too disjointed) and go back to my normal routine so I may or may not test my maxes soon.

Shorter people tend to have mechanical advantages, yes.

There is no set way of increasing strength, but if I was training you solely for strength then you would be doing something like this...

For deadlift:
Take 70% of your max and do it for 3 sets of 5 reps. Do all the reps explosively. Increase the weight by 5kg per week (1 deadlifting session per week) until you get to 80%. Then continue by doing 3 sets of 3 reps, and then 3x2 at 90%. Keep going after this until you get to your old max, and then in your next session test for a new 1 rep max.

This is a very simple progression, and at your current max should take 8 weeks.

Accessory work: pullups, DB row/bent over row (STRICT form - no movement in legs or change in back angle). All done with 3 sets of 5.


Squat:
Similar approach, but start at 60% with 5 reps so you're stopping at 90% with 2 reps, again, doing ALL the reps explosively. The next session work up in single reps to your old max and then see how high you can go.

The key issue with squats is going to be with form, hence starting with lower weights. Any advice would completely depend on how you currently lift, but there has been some good discussion in this thread recently (you will need to go back several pages). Adjust your increment so you spend at least two weeks at each rep range. For example, you might reduce it from 5kg to 2.5kg.

Accessory work: stiff leg deadlift, front squat and cable pull throughs (search on youtube).


Again, you will have zero progress and possible hurt yourself if you compromise your form. If I was actually training you, you wouldn't be going over ~80kg until you'd nailed the form. Don't assume you've got it yet, especially because an instructor said you do

Great advice as ever. Tough chains and bands are fantastic to help push those sticking points too.

 

[icecold]

I think my first deadlift was about 60kg... but then I found it so easy I carried on up to at least 120kg! haha! Always been my favourite exercise.

Yeah, I very quickly went up to 160kg or more on my first round of HST having never deadlifted, no real idea what my true max was. Before this I have fond memories of being stapled by 140kg in a squat rack after being able to do it in a smith . Really wish I knew then what I know now!

Solid session btw FF

 

[Delvis]

Is it too OCD to keep a spreadsheet of times, weight, body fat, excercises and the like?
I kinda like graphs to watch things change as I train more.

I personally wouldn't, as it'd be a straight line

 

[fire_munki]

Well I hope some of it will change. If I keep putting work in and don't get any faster I'll be a bit annoyed!

 

[Freefaller]

Yeah, I very quickly went up to 160kg or more on my first round of HST having never deadlifted, no real idea what my true max was. Before this I have fond memories of being stapled by 140kg in a squat rack after being able to do it in a smith . Really wish I knew then what I know now!

Solid session btw FF

Thanks - getting back into it slowly!

 

[LiE]

I started from a pretty athletic background though... sprinting, football, squash, etc. so my posterior chain was already fairly well developed. I think my natural affinity for sprinting explains my squat/deadlift strength, but it seems I have no such gift for benching

You just need to sign up to the bench press monkey club

I find it really hard doing lighter deadlifts, really nukes me. 120kg x 10, is really hard, give me 180+ x 3 no worries
Not sure what that says about my conditioning, maybes it just the nature of deads.

 

[kai]

Damn straight, nout wrong with a gorging session every so often if you're that strict on your diet in the first place.

You've probably done it, but could you post a rough 'diet' on what you eat on a daily basis when you get a moment? Or just email me, just interested

does not include the copious amount of Met - RX Hi-Test Amino Liquid and Fiber i now intake. Macros are slightly little higher as there half a slice of brown bread and penut butter 1hr before gym sessions.

 

[Delvis]

does not include the copious amount of Met - RX Hi-Test Amino Liquid and Fiber i now intake. Macros are slightly little higher as there half a slice of brown bread and penut butter 1hr before gym sessions.

Fair game buddy, need to re-add mine again...Wish that damn site had an export button!

 

[icecold]

You just need to sign up to the bench press monkey club

I find it really hard doing lighter deadlifts, really nukes me. 120kg x 10, is really hard, give me 180+ x 3 no worries
Not sure what that says about my conditioning, maybes it just the nature of deads.

I would love to, I may have to pay my membership costs with my shoulders though!

I find high rep deads horrible, but as you say that's probably largely because our conditioning is terrible

 

[Skillmister]

On bench? I hope not! But probably yes. I'm actually about to sack off HST (it's ended up being far too disjointed) and go back to my normal routine so I may or may not test my maxes soon.

What do you mean by too disjointed?

I'm in 2 minds about it at the moment. On the one hand with 5s i love hitting the heavier weights on deadlifts and squats, but on everything else i don't feel like i'm benefiting as much, whereas say 10s getting the pump and just generally feeling like it's doing more on the smaller exercises is great. But the week of lighter weights annoys me on DL and squats.

Thinking about going back to a 3 day split after xmas.. or maybe try something new completely.

 

[Delvis]

Thinking about going back to a 3 day split after xmas.. or maybe try something new completely.

I'm on a three day split...can't go wrong really...

Can mix it up as well in all sorts of ways, low reps going heavy, high reps going light...Pyramids etc.

 

[icecold]

some people lead lives that make them strong, others sit at desks all day.

on a stag do a few months ago, we had an arm-wrestling contest, and all the gym bunnies and rugby players had their arms torn off by the HGV mechanic who's never been in a gym in his life.

This is true to a certain extent, but natural ability comes into it to quite a large extent.

For example, you'll find most top athletes have crazy starting weight in the gym. iirc Tom Martin pulled 200kg his first time deadlifting, possibly more. My flatmates brother is an absolute machine, he doesn't use steroids but routinely destroys guys who do at under 105kg strongman. While no where near that level, both me and my brother have become stronger than most at our powerlifting club with less training (judge the quality of the club yourself ).

What do you mean by too disjointed?

I'm in 2 minds about it at the moment. On the one hand with 5s i love hitting the heavier weights on deadlifts and squats, but on everything else i don't feel like i'm benefiting as much, whereas say 10s getting the pump and just generally feeling like it's doing more on the smaller exercises is great. But the week of lighter weights annoys me on DL and squats.

Thinking about going back to a 3 day split after xmas.. or maybe try something new completely.

Not at all because of the program, but due to my intermittent gym attendance due to being ill/busy. Stick with it, some times it doesn't feel great but the results speak for themselves.

Did you change your exercises for the 5s? I drop all isolation work at this stage, doing 5 reps of curls feels even more stupid than normal

 

[Skillmister]

Did you change your exercises for the 5s? I drop all isolation work at this stage, doing 5 reps of curls feels even more stupid than normal

I changed it up a bit, did less sets of isolation and more compounds but didn't drop all isolation completely. Maybe i'll try that this time. What would be your recommend 5s routine?

 

[Delvis]

Back this evening...Will have to put up with the SS students for 30 mins ...Then bash out the deadlifts again.

First of all, BORS and one armed rows

 

[Deception]

Back this evening...Will have to put up with the SS students for 30 mins ...Then bash out the deadlifts again.

First of all, BORS and one armed rows

What angle do you do your BORS at? Just wondering what style do people use when doing them.

 

[Delvis]

What angle do you do your BORS at? Just wondering what style do people use when doing them.

er from upright about 75/80%, if not more...

May look at Pendlay rows mind instead if these fail to hit the correct spot

 

[MoNkeE]

I do my BORs as close to parrallel as I can =)