*** The 2016 Gym Rats Thread ***

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Some top physiques seem to be developing in here since the last time I posted. I think it was 2014 I was posting on here last. Although I do post on the FB gym rats group sometimes.

Back into training and dieting full swing now and actually currently 9 weeks away from another bodybuilding show; the NABBA North East in May. Will be good to discuss training styles and see what everyone else is doing. Anyone else competing this year?
 
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A few photos from ~ 11 weeks out:

FB_IMG_1457710842878_zps8xmxz8l6.jpg
 
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I was just about to say there's a guy doing his prep now but I'd completely forgotten his username, it would appear it was yours I was thinking of :o
 
Sycho said:
Thanks for the replies, ordered the Powerlift2 shoes, arrive tomorrow....should help my squats/deadlifts. :D
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Generally they're not something you'd deadlift with, since it effectively creates a small deficit and it's a lot easier to get pulled forward by the weight with a higher heel. A couple of powerlifters have experimented using them like Garrettt from Massthetics, but 99.9% of lifters pull in flats.

Obviously Oly lifters pull weight off the floor in shoes but any disadvantage are cancelled out by the advantages they bring for when the weight is overhead and the torso needs to be as upright as possible, and clean weights are always going to be much lower than slow pulls to a lockout with more of an emphasis on the posterior chain and subtly different execution (since a deadlift is not a clean pull). This is what I found when I played about with using my Adipowers for deadlifting. I still prefer to use hook-grip over mixed though.
 
Man I'm loving gym at the moment. Near enough empty after the new year rush.

Setting myself silly little goals to keep things interesting. My two recent goals are (and this might take a few months) to hit 8 reps on the 60kg dumbells for flat dumbell presses (only on the 47.5kgs at the moment) and to hit 40 deep reps on the vertical leg press with the entire stack. Probably no functional purpose to either other than to amuse myself :p

Strength is coming up tremendously and after recently having to change my diet completely due to being diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism, the fat is starting to come off nicely. Not that I have much but got that annoying 3-4kgs around the lower abs that's being a pain.
 
NarChaDBaueR said:
Yeah my aim is to bulk, probably for a year at least. Ideally it will be a lean bulk as I don't wanna get too fat again! Did you reverse diet from 1650 to 3000 by 100 calories per week every week? Or did you add 100 and then eat at that until the gains stopped then add another 100 per week?

So far I'm thinking - Eat at suggested maintenance for 2 weeks, then if weight is not going up or if I'm still feeling tired/weak add 200 calories try that for 2 weeks etc etc.
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I did start by adding 100 cals a week, but after a few weeks I doubled that so went up 200 cals per week, I got a little bored to be honest. I would do it differently next time, now i have a better idea of where my numbers need to be.
Your plan sounds fine, its all about learning your own body. You could try calorie cycling to help prevent excessive fat gain, but you will gain muscle faster in a proper surplus.

I have been bulking since christmas after i got down to 10% BF, 62/3kg. I'm now 66kg and my squat has gone from 85kg 3x5 to 112.5kg, bench is up from 62.5kg to 75kg 5x5 and DL has gone from 120kg to 142.5kg. OHP has only gone up 5kg, does everyone else find that this goes up really slowly?
 
OHP always progresses slowly. If my OHP is 60kg then even adding 10kg is an improvement of over 20%. A comparable bench press of 100kg would be an improvement of 10%.
 
As MoNkeE said, OHP will stall time and time again and unless you really focus on it, it won't really climb too much.

Don't sweat it too much :)
 
After spending the year so far getting some miles in riding, or on the trainer, I decided it was time to sort myself out a routine again and get back on it.

I'm doing this one:

http://www.menshealth.co.uk/building-muscle/transform-club/12-week-body-transformation-plan

If anyone thinks it's OK to do? I worked out tonight my upper body is like the worst it's been. I have flaps of skin where my triceps have never been.

And dude ^^ you're a beast. Fair play. I'd be well happy with that :p nohomo
 
MartynB85 said:
OHP has only gone up 5kg, does everyone else find that this goes up really slowly?
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OHP is inherently a hard exercise to progress with because the bottom position of the lift is a mechanically inefficient position to press from, which is why Rippetoe came up with the slightly weird 'hip kick' in later editions of Starting Strength to get the bar moving, and a short and snappy drive of the legs in a push-press instantly allows people to put far greater weights overhead. Also the muscles and muscle groups involved are smaller than other 'big' compound lifts - a single rep with your bodyweight with standing strict OHP is a good demonstration of strength, let alone being able to do it for reps - the main reason why the press was dropped as the 3rd lift in weightlifting years ago was because athletes were turning it into something resembling a standing incline press (allowing the recruitment of more muscles and enabling higher weights to be pressed - same as how gym brahs on incline bench lift their butt up to turn it into a flat press to get more reps out).

It can also be made harder than it needs to be if shoulder mobility sucks.
 
Yeah I've seen Rippetoe's method of pushing your hips forward before you start the press, it's also to make the bar path as vertical as possible. It is difficult, I have now started to do it seated, I'll give it a month or so and go back to standing. I'm going to try and get a bit more volume in but spread it over the week.
I think I'm in need of a deload week, or even a week off. I think my last was Christmas, the heavy lifting certainly takes its toll, my energy levels are quite low at the moment :(
 
Kneeling kettle bell shoulder press, seated press, seated press with bands, ohp with chains.

Improve core strength, upper body stability, tricep strength an capacity.

Obviously it goes without saying that shoulder mobility is important.
 
Biggest thing for shoulder press for me when standing: keep your core tight and your glutes squeezed. Makes the world of difference and saves your lower back from taking the load.
 
Martyn, I don't tend to believe in deloads as most people aren't training to a standard that requires one. What I would recommend is spending a week eating a lot more calories.
 
MartynB85 said:
I did start by adding 100 cals a week, but after a few weeks I doubled that so went up 200 cals per week, I got a little bored to be honest. I would do it differently next time, now i have a better idea of where my numbers need to be.
Your plan sounds fine, its all about learning your own body. You could try calorie cycling to help prevent excessive fat gain, but you will gain muscle faster in a proper surplus.

I have been bulking since christmas after i got down to 10% BF, 62/3kg. I'm now 66kg and my squat has gone from 85kg 3x5 to 112.5kg, bench is up from 62.5kg to 75kg 5x5 and DL has gone from 120kg to 142.5kg. OHP has only gone up 5kg, does everyone else find that this goes up really slowly?
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Cool, thanks for all the info! Upped my calorie intake to 2200 on Friday, already feel less hangry all the time which is good! Hoping my lifts go up like yours have, 5/3/1 has been a struggle whilst in a deficit.
 
MoNkeE said:
Biggest thing for shoulder press for me when standing: keep your core tight and your glutes squeezed.
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I think you gave me similar advice about a year back when i had a log, have always done that since and it definitely changes the lift.

Freefaller said:
Kneeling kettle bell shoulder press, seated press, seated press with bands, ohp with chains.

Improve core strength, upper body stability, tricep strength an capacity.

Obviously it goes without saying that shoulder mobility is important.
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Thanks, will add in seated press with dumbbells. My mobility is ok I think, can do dislocates with a band and have no pain before, during or after the lifts.

The main thing i've neglected is i'm currently dropping weight, down 4kg since start of Feb (85kg to 81kg this morning). Think that's eating into progress on my lifts.

At this point if I can maintain 50KG OHP as I drop another 5/6kg, i'll be happy.
 
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