* The 2017 Gym Rats Thread *

mrthingyx · 4 Jan 2017 at 10:41

2015 Thread
2016 Thread
2015 Powerlifting Totals Thread
2015 Goals / Targets Thread
Ultimate Beginners Guide
icecolds Mobilty Thread
Steedies Diet and Macros Thread
Form guide and discussion
Post your bodies up boys, Bodybuilders Pics Thread
Home Gym Thread
mrthingyx's Clean And Jerk Guide
Sports Arena Competition/Event Calendar

So, it's (a few days into) 2017! Let the gains commence!

tom_e · 4 Jan 2017 at 10:42

We're slacking round here these days, IN!

GSVBagpuss · 4 Jan 2017 at 11:08

What's our first challenge then? Squat a BB with your body weight on it until max reps or pass out?

dr_volki · 4 Jan 2017 at 11:17

mrs talked me into the usual new years resolution gym hype

saying that the gym only costs £20 quid a month, it's bigger, has more manly stuff (i may wander into there in a couple of weeks

) and it's open 24/7 so much better than the gym we used to go to down the road, a couple of years ago.

target for now: get more stamina / get fitter.

only question now is how i can stop injuring my groin, done something to it twice in the last 6months during ice hockey training and have not been since. my guess was no proper warm up / stretches.

mrthingyx · 4 Jan 2017 at 11:43

dr_volki said:
mrs talked me into the usual new years resolution gym hype

saying that the gym only costs £20 quid a month, it's bigger, has more manly stuff (i may wander into there in a couple of weeks ) and it's open 24/7 so much better than the gym we used to go to down the road, a couple of years ago.

target for now: get more stamina / get fitter.

only question now is how i can stop injuring my groin, done something to it twice in the last 6months during ice hockey training and have not been since. my guess was no proper warm up / stretches.

Lateral, band resisted lunges.

Prepare to cry!

CaptainRAVE · 4 Jan 2017 at 12:18

New year new thread

I am having a rest for a few days - not helped by having to have jabs and my arm killing me at the moment!

bakes0310 · 4 Jan 2017 at 12:32

Going back to the 2016 thread discussion on gvt being a waste of time, I guess I'll stop now and go back to doing my 5x5 or 5x3 then. I only try and change it up a bit cause Ive stooped upping my squats, bench and deadlift. I'll look into smolov, see what that's about.

jernau_gergeh · 4 Jan 2017 at 13:02

GVT - kind of depends what you're trying to achieve. I completed a 6 week cycle just before Christmas. My goals were to try to add a little muscle but mostly to build some physical and mental toughness as I've never trained anywhere remotely in that volume before.

Did it work - yes, I can definitely face more volume now without the same fear of failure, and subjective of course but everyone thought I looked in great shape, even me. Part of the trick is that even though you'll really want to , you have to avoid just inhaling food to cope with the trauma and fatigue.

And once you've faced down 100 squats in a session six times then you feel like you can face almost anything.

Only a sample size of one but hope that helps.

tom_e · 4 Jan 2017 at 13:05

FF was a big fan of AGVT don't know if he still uses it.

jernau_gergeh · 4 Jan 2017 at 13:23

General advice is to cycle it once a year, twice max, otherwise you'll just fry your CNS.

dr_volki · 4 Jan 2017 at 13:28

mrthingyx said:
Lateral, band resisted lunges.

Prepare to cry!

sounds painful, will try them out :eek:

Kris_90 · 4 Jan 2017 at 13:34

dr_volki said:
sounds painful, will try them out

Roll over into V-sits and rocking frog stretches are good too.

neoboy · 4 Jan 2017 at 13:52

Did do a little GVT back in the day, not sure if it's just a mental thing but you always feel like you have a bigger pump after. Also good at training yourself to break past the pain barrier but no idea if it's superior to other training methods. Nowadays I just like to occasionally throw some supersets at myself if the routine is getting a little stale.

Goal for this year is to mostly lose weight and get down to 200lbs/90kg/14ish stone mark. Since I'm planning on doing a lot of compound exercises see if I can also reach the 500kg powerlifting total by the end of the year as well. In my once again untrained shape since the wrist injury in the summer, I can crank out 300kg+ already so feel it's a reasonable goal.

Biggest thing is to listen to my body more as I always seem to go a little too hard when I make a comeback. Having trained heavily in my late teens and early 20s I seem to get strength back quickly but then end up injuring myself as the joints and tendons don't catch up as quickly.

SixTwoSix · 4 Jan 2017 at 14:41

bakes0310 said:
Going back to the 2016 thread discussion on gvt being a waste of time, I guess I'll stop now and go back to doing my 5x5 or 5x3 then. I only try and change it up a bit cause Ive stooped upping my squats, bench and deadlift. I'll look into smolov, see what that's about.

I wasn't trying to put anyone off GVT, just posting what i'd read a few weeks back. Would hate to see anyone put twice the effort required for minimal extra gains.

T1Cybernetic · 4 Jan 2017 at 14:42

Welcome to 2017

May the gains flow freely and hope you all stay injury free

GSVBagpuss · 4 Jan 2017 at 15:43

jernau_gergeh said:
GVT - kind of depends what you're trying to achieve. I completed a 6 week cycle just before Christmas. My goals were to try to add a little muscle but mostly to build some physical and mental toughness as I've never trained anywhere remotely in that volume before.

Did it work - yes, I can definitely face more volume now without the same fear of failure, and subjective of course but everyone thought I looked in great shape, even me. Part of the trick is that even though you'll really want to , you have to avoid just inhaling food to cope with the trauma and fatigue.

And once you've faced down 100 squats in a session six times then you feel like you can face almost anything.

Only a sample size of one but hope that helps.

10 reps is mentally a huge number after doing a 5x5 routine (at least formed it was) and the mental side shouldn't be ignored when training. I've done some really long bike rides and I've set no records but the mental achievement and satisfaction of keeping going is many ways outstrips the physical one.

GSVBagpuss · 4 Jan 2017 at 16:26

So, I'm currently squatting twice a week. My "heavy" day follows the following pattern over a month (stolen from Dreamforger!)
Week 1 - Work up to a ten rep set, then back off with 3x6-8 at that weight
Week 2 -work up to an 8 rep set, then a back off 3x5 at the same weight
W3 - 5 reps, 3x3 back off
W4 - 3 reps, 3x1 back off

It has been working very well - the variation keeps me interested and the weights keep going up. I squat a second day a week too but it's been a little aimless - varies between a 1RM test, paused sets, working on 90-95% singles, anything I think of really.

Any ideas what I should do on my second day? I think I lose confidence in the hole under heavy weights hence my current idea of doing paused squats. My accessories for legs are GMs, Snatch RDLs and Bulgarian split squats spread over the week, plus I cycle a lot. I could have course squash my current routine into a fortnight....

Psymonkee · 4 Jan 2017 at 17:20

I was injured from April last year with Plantar Fasciitis which is just about healed now. Needless to say with even walking hurting I've done little to no meaningful exercise since then.

Back to the beginning.

PermaChanged · 4 Jan 2017 at 17:21

Here's to 10kg gained in 2016, another 10kg+ to come in 2017!!! I'll post pics later....

Pigeon_Killer · 4 Jan 2017 at 18:34

GSVBagpuss said:
Any ideas what I should do on my second day?

If you're struggling in the hole, as most people will when the weight gets heavy, go for heavy triples or medium to heavy paused squats on the second day. Don't bother with 1RMs because you'll just be knackering your CNS and getting weaker.

*** The 2017 Gym Rats Thread ***

* The 2017 Gym Rats Thread *