*** The 2015 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Steedie]

Can I suggest doing the leg extensions first?

Leg extensions aren't really a mass building exercise, not that you can't develop your quads with them, but I see them either as a finishing exercise but primarily as a warm up. To get blood into the quads and warm up the knees.

Especially if you're doing squats. I find my squats are a lot more comfortable after I've warmed up on leg extensions.

 

[eGu_Ryan]

I'll give it a try, my knees do tend to be a bit stiff so it's a good idea. Cheers

 

[wozza2k]

RIP legs.

This is freaking amazing.

 

[FrenchTart]

So, more questions about bulking.

I'm looking to do a slow lean bulk rather than go crazy with it. I'm trying to work out what an appropriate kcal surplus is for this but I'm getting conflicting advice. I'm going to be doing other exercise (lots of cycling) so my total kcal intake will be pretty high no matter what. I'm tempted to count my weight training as about 300 kcal - so it'd be an additional 300 kcal on top of eating back my cycling calories and such. Obviously I'd be aiming for around 2500 per day before any exercise is factored in - though that's an estimate of my TDEE of course. I'll make sure to keep my protein at 'totes propes' levels, so probably 140g or so with a decent amount of fat and carbs.

Based on the assumption that I calculate my TDEE correctly and I'm doing some stronglifts-like routine is this going to be a good approach to slowly gain mass? I don't really want to go overboard and then have to cut massively at some point. I've been cutting for the last year.

Second question/thing:

Core strength is obviously the most important part of any training and on top of that I'm more interested in strength gains than mass gains for the sake of it. However, there are two complicating factors. 1) My cycling requires that my legs aren't utterly dead so I need to find a way to time stuff like squats and deads so that it doesn't impact my cycling training too much. 2) I wouldn't mind getting a little bro-tastic mass up top so I'll probably look to do some accessory work or adapt the upper body parts of my routine to be more in the higher rep range.

Any thoughts on this and/or suggestions for additional core strength stuff I could do that isn't squats/deads? Obviously I'm not going to cut them out completely but if I could keep them down to once a week each it would mean that my legs have enough energy for me to train properly during my turbo/cycling sessions.

Sorry - bit of a wall of text.

 

[mrthingyx]

I will do the second one as there are members much more qualified than me in the realms of diet and (let's be honest) size.

Core strength, good mornings, reverse planks, candlesticks and dragon flags, and some hellish thing Klokov and Rigert came up with involving two 50kg plates (it has no name but the YouTube vid is hilarious)

 

[FrenchTart]

Cheers. I will check all of those out - the dragon flags you mentioned previously look like fun so I'm going to try and fail some of those tonight too

Any thoughts about adapting some of the stuff to higher rep range? Not that I'll do stronglifts exactly but I guess for that I'd primarily increase the bench to higher rep count - keeping the more important OHP more focussed on strength. Or is that kind of mismatch a really bad idea/pointless?

 

[mrthingyx]

Cheers. I will check all of those out - the dragon flags you mentioned previously look like fun so I'm going to try and fail some of those tonight too

Any thoughts about adapting some of the stuff to higher rep range? Not that I'll do stronglifts exactly but I guess for that I'd primarily increase the bench to higher rep count - keeping the more important OHP more focussed on strength. Or is that kind of mismatch a really bad idea/pointless?

... and I missed the first part of the second bit. *doh*

My personal preference for bolting on size is to work through a tapered-type routine that starts with volume and tapers out to strength. An alternative is to work without your current intensity range and bang out 8/12 reps in your 70-80% range (or work towards it).

The other way of doing it is to go for 5*5 on the compounds and then get silly with assistance work (lat raises, pushups, tricep work, single-arm rows, etc.). If you're really hardcore, then just increase the number of sets, because size is a derivative of volume ploughed into the working muscles.

 

[FrenchTart]

... and I missed the first part of the second bit. *doh*

My personal preference for bolting on size is to work through a tapered-type routine that starts with volume and tapers out to strength. An alternative is to work without your current intensity range and bang out 8/12 reps in your 70-80% range (or work towards it).

The other way of doing it is to go for 5*5 on the compounds and then get silly with assistance work (lat raises, pushups, tricep work, single-arm rows, etc.). If you're really hardcore, then just increase the number of sets, because size is a derivative of volume ploughed into the working muscles.

So when you say tapered you mean you'd do your higher rep sets at the start and then increase the weight and do less reps? I had originally thought about doing the opposite of that - is there an advantage doing the volume stuff at the start?

Based on my previous two years of (bad) lifting I think I'd want to keep the routine as simple as possible so if I could stick to various compounds but simply do additional sets I might go for that. I much prefer just having a few things to remember whilst I'm trying to lift/crying about how weak I am

 

[mrthingyx]

So when you say tapered you mean you'd do your higher rep sets at the start and then increase the weight and do less reps? I had originally thought about doing the opposite of that - is there an advantage doing the volume stuff at the start?

Based on my previous two years of (bad) lifting I think I'd want to keep the routine as simple as possible so if I could stick to various compounds but simply do additional sets I might go for that. I much prefer just having a few things to remember whilst I'm trying to lift/crying about how weak I am

I do an 8-6-3 regime (two weeks of each), and things like RSR, Smolov Jnr, etc. all work around building a base of huge volume before tapering out into brutal intensity. 5-3-1 also works with some drop-sets, too, so...

Eric Cressey, for instance (renowned SnC bod in the US) likes a 3*3 -> 8*2 (reps*sets( scheme for strength and then punishment... so it's ultimately what works for you.

 

[wozza2k]

FT regarding your bulk, it'll be a lot of trial and error to work out your TDEE. Pretty much what I would recommend is to measure your daily food intake on something like MyFitnessPal, weighing yourself daily and then tinker with the intake till you are going the right way on the scales

I'm 175cm short currently weighing around 83kg and also on the Stronglifts program with some light swimming weekly and I'm on 3,000 kcals a day, so I would imagine with your cycling you may need more kcals than me.

 

[Steedie]

Weighing yourself daily isn't the best idea when trying to gauge your caloric requirements, as normal fluctuations can cause you to think you are losing or gaining when really, it's just water weight etc.

Work out a number and stick to it for two weeks, weighing yourself at the end of both weeks. Then either add or remove calories accordingly

 

[Phantom Shadow]

That sense of achievement when your chin clears the bar for the first time (even if it was only a 3/4 chin-up).

Just need to work on getting things moving from hanging now.

 

[FrenchTart]

I do an 8-6-3 regime (two weeks of each), and things like RSR, Smolov Jnr, etc. all work around building a base of huge volume before tapering out into brutal intensity. 5-3-1 also works with some drop-sets, too, so...

Eric Cressey, for instance (renowned SnC bod in the US) likes a 3*3 -> 8*2 (reps*sets( scheme for strength and then punishment... so it's ultimately what works for you.

Hmm. I might look into those once I've settled into things a little more. I like the sound of mixing it up a bit like that but I'll probably go for the more simple approach at the start - as you said, just do extra sets

FT regarding your bulk, it'll be a lot of trial and error to work out your TDEE. Pretty much what I would recommend is to measure your daily food intake on something like MyFitnessPal, weighing yourself daily and then tinker with the intake till you are going the right way on the scales

I'm 175cm short currently weighing around 83kg and also on the Stronglifts program with some light swimming weekly and I'm on 3,000 kcals a day, so I would imagine with your cycling you may need more kcals than me.

I already track on MFP and have done so (admittedly not religiously) for the past year during my cut. Despite that I don't really have any idea of an appropriate TDEE As you say, it'll take some trial and error.

I discussed this a little in the road biking thread not long ago and I currently often do ~1000kcal worth of road cycling and sometimes more like 2000 in a day. Combined with bulking it's going to be quite a lot of food

Weighing yourself daily isn't the best idea when trying to gauge your caloric requirements, as normal fluctuations can cause you to think you are losing or gaining when really, it's just water weight etc.

Work out a number and stick to it for two weeks, weighing yourself at the end of both weeks. Then either add or remove calories accordingly

I currently weigh weekly but I was considering changing that to daily but instead of paying attention to the actual weight to plot out the data and look at the trend over the course of a few weeks. The issue I have with weighing only weekly at the moment is that I feel like I need to make sure I have my tea the night before as early as possible and then also to wait until I've got rid of the food in the morning I think changing to daily/trend monitoring might work better for me.

That sense of achievement when your chin clears the bar for the first time (even if it was only a 3/4 chin-up).

Just need to work on getting things moving from hanging now.

Congrats I remember at one point thinking that I'd never be able to do one.

 

[Phantom Shadow]

I currently weigh weekly but I was considering changing that to daily but instead of paying attention to the actual weight to plot out the data and look at the trend over the course of a few weeks. The issue I have with weighing only weekly at the moment is that I feel like I need to make sure I have my tea the night before as early as possible and then also to wait until I've got rid of the food in the morning I think changing to daily/trend monitoring might work better for me.

Yeah I do this. Daily tracking with a 7 day moving average makes it quite easy to see the trend.

 

[tom_e]

Hmm. I might look into those once I've settled into things a little more. I like the sound of mixing it up a bit like that but I'll probably go for the more simple approach at the start - as you said, just do extra sets



I already track on MFP and have done so (admittedly not religiously) for the past year during my cut. Despite that I don't really have any idea of an appropriate TDEE As you say, it'll take some trial and error.

I discussed this a little in the road biking thread not long ago and I currently often do ~1000kcal worth of road cycling and sometimes more like 2000 in a day. Combined with bulking it's going to be quite a lot of food



I currently weigh weekly but I was considering changing that to daily but instead of paying attention to the actual weight to plot out the data and look at the trend over the course of a few weeks. The issue I have with weighing only weekly at the moment is that I feel like I need to make sure I have my tea the night before as early as possible and then also to wait until I've got rid of the food in the morning I think changing to daily/trend monitoring might work better for me.



Congrats I remember at one point thinking that I'd never be able to do one.

To be fair if you've already been tracking and you know how much you need to cut then working out what you need to bulk shouldn't be too difficult.

 

[FrenchTart]

Well, you'd think that but I've had a rather haphazard approach to logging that really has only worked due to the excessive amount of exercise I do.

 

[ChrisD.]

Hi guys,

Can someone recommend some shorts and training tops for a fatty please?

When I say fatty, I have a 36" waist, 31" inner leg and 46" chest.

I'll be doing a combination of cross trainer, weights and core work, if it makes any difference?

I just don't want to look like 'that new gym fatty', yet work out in something comfortable that won't ride up etc.

I do road cycling as well, so if it could double up then happy days.

 

[Maxeh]

Compression gear can hide a multitude of sins

 

[tom_e]

Compression gear can hide a multitude of sins

This.

I normally wear under armour kit, they do fitted fit stuff that's not quite as tight as compression stuff but it's a decent fit for me and I'm a bit bigger in the chest than you but slightly smaller round the waist.

 

[mrthingyx]

I generally mince about in tights, high heels and loose, baggy value tshirts from Ta supermarket. I have also been known to wear some Everlast training shorts (which were pretty baggy).

The main thing is being physically comfy (the psychological will probably happen irrespective), so hidden seams all the way!

The most stable compression fit stuff I have (in that it doesn't budge) is from Aldi, so it needn't cost the earth.

And if you are cycling anyway, do more weights and less cross trainer!