*** The 2013 Gym Rats Thread ***

[opethdisciple]

if purely losing weight is your goal then your doing just fine. I was under the impression though that you wanted to lose fat and build muscle? if so eat more as Skills clearly pointed out.

I do want to gain muscle, and have been progressively albiet slowly getting stronger, but at this stage as you can see from images, main focus is fat loss.

I probably need a good 2 months untill I start reducing my lower ab fat. I do believe the only reason why stomach looks flatter in some pics, is becuase of planks.

 

[tom_e]

At this point in time and in your position I'd scrap the whole going all out on weight loss train of thought and concentrate on building some lean mass, you've got no real mass to speak of and that's not meant as harsh but just putting on some muscle will improve the look of your body no end.
Up your kcals to the sort of level skill has worked out for you and concentrate on a recomp which is much easier while you're still in the noob gains territory.

 

[Skillmister]

I do want to gain muscle, and have been progressively albiet slowly getting stronger, but at this stage as you can see from images, main focus is fat loss.

I probably need a good 2 months untill I start reducing my lower ab fat. I do believe the only reason why stomach looks flatter in some pics, is becuase of planks.

If you keep cutting as you are for another 2 months you will look 900% worse than you do now. Then you will come back and expect even more sympathy with more bs excuses.

 

[Alex_6n2]

Just off to the new gym up the road. Looks pretty good

 

[BennyC]

I'll check your log out. If you update it when you do HST that would be great, it would probably assist me when I come to round 2 next month.

Will do, won't be using HST again until probably around June/July, depending on how I get on with DC but will pick it up where I left off.

 

[Somnambulist]

Okay so squatting in Oly shoes when you've been doing it in Vibrams for months is weeeeeeiiiiird. Started to get the hang of it though, and I feel like now I have the Adipowers, I have zero excuse not to work on squatting proper ATG w/the high bar/front squat.

 

[mrthingyx]

Okay so squatting in Oly shoes when you've been doing it in Vibrams for months is weeeeeeiiiiird. Started to get the hang of it though, and I feel like now I have the Adipowers, I have zero excuse not to work on squatting proper ATG w/the high bar/front squat.

Good work! Nothing more aspirationally middle class than paying for that advantage!

 

[Somnambulist]

Indeed, more money than sense! One day I'll justify it having bumper plates and stuff to do the actual Oly lifts with.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

So last week I managed to hurt my shoulder. Driving to work among all things!!! Anyway, my sister is a physio and she has taken a look and given me some stretches to do/got me to concentrate on my shoulder positioning when I do anything using my shoulder. So that's all going well and I haven't felt any pain for the last couple of days. (Although she wants me to have 2 weeks off from the "heavy" stuff..)

So, in the meantime I was wondering if anyone would like to give me some sort of idea as to what I can do for some core/mobility sessions. I do 5x5 Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I was looking to maybe do an hour of core stuff on my off days. 1 to strengthen my core and 2 to increase my flexibility. I'll research the relevant videos for the stretches and things from round here but a list of actual exercises to actually do in these supplemental workouts would really help me out!

Fire away!

 

[mrthingyx]

Indeed, more money than sense! One day I'll justify it having bumper plates and stuff to do the actual Oly lifts with.

Forget that - they look so much cooler than powerlifting plates.

 

[Syla5]

Kingpin you might find your better off doing little and often with your core, because getting worked out every session anyway, adding in a few hours a week dedicated to core might be a bit overkill.

I throw in core work at the end of each day in the gym, I will do some combination of landmines, pallof presses, reverse crunches, or some planks.

i never really do to much but enough to get the core really going.

Example:
Monday was landmines 10kgx20/20 pallof press 14kgx7/8 (reps per side of my body)
Monday night i did a couple of planks and some reverse crunches maybe 15-20 total in with my mobility and soft tissue work.

Tuesday i just did some reverse crunches and planks again with my mobility

Yesterday i did some reverse crunches, a plank, and a set of pallof press 14kg x10 (per side)

So never dedicating massive amounts of time to it, but doing little and often. This works for me and my core never feels nuked by the next time i am in the gym which shows i am sufficently recovered

 

[mrthingyx]

So last week I managed to hurt my shoulder. Driving to work among all things!!! Anyway, my sister is a physio and she has taken a look and given me some stretches to do/got me to concentrate on my shoulder positioning when I do anything using my shoulder. So that's all going well and I haven't felt any pain for the last couple of days. (Although she wants me to have 2 weeks off from the "heavy" stuff..)

So, in the meantime I was wondering if anyone would like to give me some sort of idea as to what I can do for some core/mobility sessions. I do 5x5 Monday, Wednesday and Friday and I was looking to maybe do an hour of core stuff on my off days. 1 to strengthen my core and 2 to increase my flexibility. I'll research the relevant videos for the stretches and things from round here but a list of actual exercises to actually do in these supplemental workouts would really help me out!

Fire away!

icecold's mobility thread. MobilityWOD Hip openers, single leg groiners, foam rolling of... everything, barbell shoulder dislocations (not sure how this would play with your current shoulder tweak, but...).

See what works for you.

 

[RoboCod]

So last week I managed to hurt my shoulder. Driving to work among all things!!! Anyway, my sister is a physio and she has taken a look and given me some stretches to do/got me to concentrate on my shoulder positioning when I do anything using my shoulder.

Share.

 

[KiNgPiN83]

Kingpin you might find your better off doing little and often with your core, because getting worked out every session anyway, adding in a few hours a week dedicated to core might be a bit overkill.

I throw in core work at the end of each day in the gym, I will do some combination of landmines, pallof presses, reverse crunches, or some planks.

i never really do to much but enough to get the core really going.

Example:
Monday was landmines 10kgx20/20 pallof press 14kgx7/8 (reps per side of my body)
Monday night i did a couple of planks and some reverse crunches maybe 15-20 total in with my mobility and soft tissue work.

Tuesday i just did some reverse crunches and planks again with my mobility

Yesterday i did some reverse crunches, a plank, and a set of pallof press 14kg x10 (per side)

So never dedicating massive amounts of time to it, but doing little and often. This works for me and my core never feels nuked by the next time i am in the gym which shows i am sufficently recovered

Cool. Thanks for that. I'll look up some of those and see if I can tag a few exercises/stretches on at the end of my current 5x5 sessions. Maybe some basic planks and crunches on the mornings or evenings on my off days.

icecold's mobility thread. MobilityWOD Hip openers, single leg groiners, foam rolling of... everything, barbell shoulder dislocations (not sure how this would play with your current shoulder tweak, but...).

See what works for you.

I shall take a look at those too. To be honest the pain has already gone and the clicking/crunching has stopped. But she told me to take it easy for two weeks so I'm going to keep it light/minimal until then. I don't want to think I'm ok and then aggravate it or make it worse..

Share.

Well, she got me to move my arms out to the sides and forwards and the left shoulder was really crunching and you can feel it as my arm goes through its range of motion. She then held my left shoulder moving it back and down and that crunching and clicking stopped altogether?! So now, I have to concentrate on keeping my left shoulder in that position all the time. I guess its a posture thing as being a professional IT nerd I'm sat hunched at a desk all day everyday. (Although I have been concentrating on and actively correcting my posture when I realise I'm slouching which has helped.) I know I'm not the most flexible person in the world but I want to improve it. I used to do a body balance class with this girl I know once a week(Nohomo/maybeslighthomo/yeahhomo) and it really did help. But she moved away and i'm not going on my own as the gym is further away than my normal weight training gym...

 

[Syla5]

reverse crunches

Fixed

 

[Delvis]

Crunches *shudders*

Speaking of shudders, saw someone doing shrugs this morning with some plates, which is fair enough, however he was doing the standard roll your shoulders thing, not because it was heavy and his form was going, he was actually doing a controlled motion =/

I presume it's basically a no no to do that?

 

[tom_e]

I presume it's basically a no no to do that?

Only if you value your shoulders, if not then it's the perfect way to punish them.

 

[Delvis]

Only if you value your shoulders, if not then it's the perfect way to punish them.

I did figure as it's always said not to do on here........At least he was controlling the reps though? Right?

 

[Morba]

Years ago I used to do forward and backward rolling shrugs. While it never did me any damage it's one of the things I no longer do at all because of the risk / reward ratio is not in my favour

 

[tom_e]

It's probably how I did them when I was younger as well, not that I can remember.
That could explain why my shoulders are now a mess or they could just be like this naturally.