*** The 2012 Gym Rats Thread ***

Status
Not open for further replies.
MoNkeE said:
WHAT! I do everything in a mirror. Thought everyone liked doing this, even my cardio afterwards, I enjoy it far more if I can watch myself in the mirror :X

Fuark, vanity is become me.
Click to expand...

It's fine for everything else, but squats I end up looking myself in the eyes the whole time so my neck wanders all over the place.
 
I find its much better to get a good kinesthetic sense of the movement when not doing it in front of a mirror, can "feel" my body much more and can focus on the movement better when staring at a static point.

Unfortunately my gym is full of mirrors =/ Can't get away from my ugly mug.
 
Tefal said:
What are good ways to improve core strength, it's been recommended.by doctor to improve core.muscles to help with my back pain
Click to expand...

Planks (of all variations)
Body saws
Swiss ball stir pots
Dragonflags
L-sits (with hold)
Windscreen wipers
Palof press
Kneeling / lunged palof press
Goblet squats with pulse
Rollouts (I usually use a BB with 20s on to give enough height)
Landmines (with or without rotations)

Compound exercises / single leg exercises:

RDLs
SLDLs
Deadlifts
Power cleans
Chins/pulls ups (with strong core i.e. no swinging jerking)
Walking single arm farmers walks (stopping your body from twisting)
Box jumps


Single leg:

walking lunges
split squats
reverse lunges
bulgarian splits squats
single leg box squats


Ensure you engage your core with all lifts - it'll naturally get a workout as a result.
 
Last edited:
Completely agree, I don't understand why most gyms tend to plaster all walls in mirrors and face the squat racks right at them :( Thats my experience from the 3-4 different gyms i've been to anyway.

At my current gym theres a nice little ledge right next to the squat rack perfect for filming, which is handy!
 
elmarko1234 said:
Well, I'm no expect but I'd go with compound exercises.

I've developed my core loads & have just done barbell compound exercises (standard strong-lifts stuff).

Squats & dead-lifts.
Click to expand...

mrthingyx said:
Had a similar problem a year ago... L1-L4 instability, causing 2+ years of chronic, severe back pain.

The physio suggested I start doing big compound lifts with correct form. So after a month of back squats, deadlifts, planks, pushups and specific lumbar exercises, I was pain free. :)

So:

- Back squats;
- Deadlifts;
- Planks (single arm/single leg);
- Barbell roll-outs;
- Band-resisted push-ups;
- Single-leg hip-pops (pelvic thrust things that FreeFaller loves);
- SLDLs...

Making sure you get the 'correct' activation pattern (i.e. correct muscles) is actually the important thing, here, so do the whole "pinch an inch in from your pelvis" thing whilst lying on the floor.

The physio noticed I also had a tendency to hyper-extend from my lumber region as compensation for poor shoulder/thoracic mobility, so I had a bucketload of other mobility exercises to do, too.
Click to expand...

Problem.there is the pulled muscle/s mean deadlift/squat = pain + another big delay in recovery as it Hurst for a week solid after
 
Tefal said:
What are good ways to improve core strength, it's been recommended.by doctor to improve core.muscles to help with my back pain
Click to expand...
Depends how you move and where you're weak.

Traditional recommendations could range from ineffective to detrimental depending on the way you use your core.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top Bottom