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*** The 2012 Gym Rats Thread ***

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Soldato
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DON'T STRETCH YOUR LOWER BACK!

I'm sure I've said this to your before mate!

If you're doing hanging leg raises, remember the points in this article (also posted in the form thread): http://www.t-nation.com/free_online...formance_repair/core_training_for_smart_folks

I thought you meant just before working out.

Not even now - hours after working out?

What should I do instead? Must be something I can do :(

Thanks for the link, I shall check that thread out before I do any new exercises. I don't have time to scour the mobility thread at the moment so any advice would be most welcome :)
 
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Caporegime
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What he's saying is, you don't physically stretch your lower back, if anything, stretch your ham strings.

You might possibly be able to do some soft tissue work,. but ill let him make that call :p
 
Caporegime
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If it's easier with weight, I'm going to suggest that you're doing it wrong ;)

You really shouldn't need to add weight...



LiE, dragon flags are going to be impossible for a beginner :p

O defo not easier, seems to help me concentrate more on not swinging though. Most likely a mental thing more than anything.

Why not add weight?
 
Man of Honour
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Never stretch the lower back, ever. A physio may be able to manipulate your spine in certain ways, but as far as you're concerned you should be training your lumbar NOT to move (this is an over simplification, but it's essentially how you should view training and your lower back).

Using a cricket ball for some soft tissue work would be fine.
 
Man of Honour
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O defo not easier, seems to help me concentrate more on not swinging though. Most likely a mental thing more than anything.

Why not add weight?
Because it will be a lot harder to hold the right contractions, even if you're able to get the rep up using some momentum.

I wouldn't add weight to reverse crunches at all, I'd just do them after pallof press or ab wheel rollouts if you're genuinely finding them easy. My definition of easy would be 12+ reps with 4 second negatives and maintaining posterior pelvic tilt at all times (explained in the article I posted).
 
Soldato
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I would be very interested to see videos of people's "interpretation" of hanging leg raises as I fear there's to much talk of them being easy for people to be doing them right.

Sigma, try laying leg raises and work up to hanging. Accompanied with planks I am pretty sure that will suffice for now.

A more advanced core exercise is ab wheel roll outs, if you can afford £10 then get the 66fit one from amazon. You shouldn't need anything else as you can make all 3 core exercises harder with resistance bands/chains/weights, and more advanced versions of each.

As for the deadlifts I think ice has covered everything :)

Just out of interest Do you take the vids on your phone??
 
Associate
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Smolov Day 10, Week 3:

Squats:

60x5
60x3
90x3
100x1
110x1
120x1
135x7
135x7
135x7
135x7
135x7

Deadlift:
170x1
180x1

Pushdowns:
80x12
80x12
80x12

Lat Pulls:
(30 sec rests)
45x12
45x12
45x12
45x12
45x12


Good session, much better with sleep and food.

I did the deadlift just to test the waters. Didn't do any specific warmup, a friend already had 170 loaded and I'd just done my final set of squats and had a go. Went up fast, as did 180 which is promising. That's the most I've pulled in 2012, and haven't deadlifted at all in over 2 months I think. Only the 3rd or 4th time to deadlift in 2012.

The other reason I deadlifted is my gym is running a student competition for best deadlift photo for a chance to win £100 worth of supplements (can't remember the company). But they want current lifts so I'm going to deadlift on Friday, as are pretty much all the other gym regulars, including staff. Basically a little deadlift meet, should be fun.

If 180 was this easy after doing all those squats, then 190 should be very likely, possibly 200 if I'm really lucky. Which would be pretty fantastic considering how much I've been neglecting it for a while now. After Smolov I want to focus on getting a 220kg deadlift next.
 
Soldato
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Sigma, try laying leg raises and work up to hanging. Accompanied with planks I am pretty sure that will suffice for now.

A more advanced core exercise is ab wheel roll outs, if you can afford £10 then get the 66fit one from amazon. You shouldn't need anything else as you can make all 3 core exercises harder with resistance bands/chains/weights, and more advanced versions of each.

As for the deadlifts I think ice has covered everything :)

Just out of interest Do you take the vids on your phone??

When I did leg raises at my old gym I was only doing knee raises which were bloody tough!

We have an ab roller at home so will try and use that first! Might just use a DB for the time being.

Yeah, I do use my phone for the videos.

If 180 was this easy after doing all those squats, then 190 should be very likely, possibly 200 if I'm really lucky. Which would be pretty fantastic considering how much I've been neglecting it for a while now. After Smolov I want to focus on getting a 220kg deadlift next.

Crazy weights. I find 65kg pretty heavy :p
 
Soldato
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Only reason his chest comment would have some value is if you had a dodgey shoulder like my self....Other than that, gtfo :p

This is a huge problem, but it isn't going to go away for years.

It really is a problem and I hate that it's everywhere really.

Also with the the way that plonker wanted me to bench I would have severe shoulder problems.

DON'T STRETCH YOUR LOWER BACK!

I'm sure I've said this to your before mate!

If you're doing hanging leg raises, remember the points in this article (also posted in the form thread): http://www.t-nation.com/free_online...formance_repair/core_training_for_smart_folks


It's amazing that from instinct and experience I know so much about many of the articles they right.

The test they have so rather easy though and I can jsut barely feel my lower back arching a tiny bit. Not to worry, it'll all get sorted out with plenty of hanging knee raises.

I'm going back to them a bit since the hanging leg raises did cause a stretch in my lowerback.

Also going to try and pick up some purple wrath or scivation xtend tomorrow in town before cardio.

My legs are like jelly from today's training and I know I'm going to be in bits after 45-60 minutes of cardio.
 
Associate
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LiE, dragon flags are going to be impossible for a beginner :p

<3 Dragon flags - don't do them on a shoddy bench like I did once or else you end up ripping the pad off the frame and suddenly find yourself sat upright looking very confused holding a bit of foam.
 
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