*** The 2015 Gym Rats Thread ***

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Associate
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He looks like he's more long legged/short bodied than the rest of the lifters you see. I'm struggling to find a consistent high bar squat, think I'll have to watch some of his vids see he looks.
 
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He looks like he's more long legged/short bodied than the rest of the lifters you see. I'm struggling to find a consistent high bar squat, think I'll have to watch some of his vids see he looks.

He had to change technique a while back due to knee injury.

You won't find a consistent squat technique because every lifter is different and has different problems to cope with... :)

You just have to find what works best for you, unless you have a good coach...
 
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He had to change technique a while back due to knee injury.

You won't find a consistent squat technique because every lifter is different and has different problems to cope with... :)

You just have to find what works best for you, unless you have a good coach...

Sorry should have been clearer, I meant a consistent technique for me :)

I'm fine with low bar, which is what I did when I started training.

For high bar I seem to find a nice pattern one day, go back a couple of days later and end up doing something completely different - it's getting a bit frustrating as I don't seem to be progressing with my lifts.

I can learn things quite well by watching other people do it the problem is with squats is everyone seems to have short legs!
 
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Sorry should have been clearer, I meant a consistent technique for me :)

I'm fine with low bar, which is what I did when I started training.

For high bar I seem to find a nice pattern one day, go back a couple of days later and end up doing something completely different - it's getting a bit frustrating as I don't seem to be progressing with my lifts.

I can learn things quite well by watching other people do it the problem is with squats is everyone seems to have short legs!

Tom. Martin.
 
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Good shout, will have a gander!

He's squatting low bar as his primary competition squat ATM but has lots of vids on his YouTube and Instagram of high bar olympic style squats. I remember reading he has/is/was using inserts in his Adipowers to raise the heel height a bit more to compensate for his femur length - quite a common tactic among weightlifters apparently given the trend for newer WL'ing shoes having slightly smaller heels than some of the older models they replaced - for high bar at least.
 
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He's squatting low bar as his primary competition squat ATM but has lots of vids on his YouTube and Instagram of high bar olympic style squats. I remember reading he has/is/was using inserts in his Adipowers to raise the heel height a bit more to compensate for his femur length - quite a common tactic among weightlifters apparently given the trend for newer WL'ing shoes having slightly smaller heels than some of the older models they replaced - for high bar at least.

Managed to find a couple of high bar examples, think I'm going to have to give up any hopes of reaching my low bar weight again and just work on form for now :(
 
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I started the gym 6 months ago and started with just the bar (I could barely lift it) which is 20kg. Now I can bench press 50kg. It's not huge and some probably started with that but I'm proud with where I'm heading. :)
 
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I started the gym 6 months ago and started with just the bar (I could barely lift it) which is 20kg. Now I can bench press 50kg. It's not huge and some probably started with that but I'm proud with where I'm heading. :)

Doesn't matter what the weight is, it's all about the progress :)
 
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I started the gym 6 months ago and started with just the bar (I could barely lift it) which is 20kg. Now I can bench press 50kg. It's not huge and some probably started with that but I'm proud with where I'm heading. :)


My lower half and core is quite strong, probably from having to carry around my bulk for years. My top half is weak as a toddler :p

Today's laws / lores circuit

10 push ups
20 squats
10 push ups
20 jump squats
10 push ups
20 jumping lunges
10 push ups
10 burpees
10 push ups
20 mountain climbers
10 push ups
20 alternating groiners
10 push ups

Knocked 3 minutes off my first time (September) now just over 10 minutes. I know it's incredibly slow and am aiming for 5 minutes.

My cousin is an mma fighter and he rattles through it in 2 minutes. It's embarrassing to watch :D
 
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Hope everyone had a good Christmas :)

I am looking forward to the new year as I will be getting back in the gym for the first time in over six months.

Late September I had a hernia repair operation and was off work for 7 weeks and now feel I am ready to start training again.

I have ordered a Bodymax CF415 squat stand, bench and an oly weight set so I can do my Stronglifts 5x5 at home and will do treadmill and some machine work at the gym.

Anyone else here had a hernia repair, if so how did you get on training again?
 
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Very rarely post in this thread unlike previous years but training is going magically well. Been at it solidly for 6 months now with diet 95% spot on. Allow myself the odd day where I eat like a pig but can't wait to go back to my healthy diet the next day. A big part is thanks to my new girlfriend I now live with. She eats incredibly well and only cooks healthy meals. She does all the shopping and does most of the cooking and it's always healthy. A typical cheat meal would be made-from-scratch chicken burgers wrapped it wholemeal tortilla buns with oodles of vegetables.

Weight came down from 105kg to 93kg and I'm pretty solid. Can even see my abs poking through :p

Bit of a niggling shoulder issue that occurred thanks to me trying to be Superman during bench pressing but I'm working around it.
 
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Great news, regulus!

Regarding your should, DO NOT WORK AROUND IT because this will bite you very hard.

Make sure you do your internal and external rotation stretching and strengthening because most people neglect this to their eventual detriment.

Give a belated Christmas present to your shoulder and do your jazz hand exercises. :D
 
Soldato
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Thanks man.

About the sore shoulder .. If I'm honest, I don't think I've had 5 workouts the past 6 months where something weren't sore or niggling. I very rarely train feeling 100% and that's something I've just learnt to deal with. Otherwise I'll never train. Obviously if there's a major injury or problem I'll cut back or stop but for the moment I'm ok enough to go for it.

But I do find proper stretching help me a lot. So much so that I don't even need to warm up if I don't want to. Obviously I still do but there has been occasions I was so pressed for time that I loaded up the bar right at the start and have at it.

One thing I'm still learning is to stop beating the crap out of my body. You'd think at 35 I'll have a bit more wisdom but i still like pushing fate at times.

Anyway, it's all good. Just had a massive squat and deadlift session. Sensible weights and the shoulder felt fine during deads.
 
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Stretching is part of the game; strengthening is the other. Think of it like wings of your gym-going bird... It will only fly if both are equally developed. :)

So do your internal and external rotation strengthening. :)
 
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