*** The 2017 Gym Rats Thread ***

If you want to enjoy the outdoors and want CV then walking is great, but like 2h+ walks. Or cycling, you don't need a £1500 bike to enjoy it or get benefit out of it.
 
I agree with the running comments but I can't find anything that burns calories as fast as running does nor makes me feel like I've improved my endurance.

What does everyone else do for cardio?
 
Boxing. Google bas rutten boxing.

He has free 2min rounds on soundcloud. He calls the combo, you do the combo, he keeps calling them, you die of heart failure it's that simple :)
 
Quick change of subject (Though talking of cardio I do rowing because it's horrible => good for you)
I was looking at vids of my squat form, my feet are rolling inwards when I go down.
Now I'm wearing converse, and tbh when I used to run I was told I needed support on my arch.

Are actual weightlifting shoes the way to go?
I've found some Do-Win and some POWERLIFT.3 for sub 60, and while I really should be cutting back spending.
I also just got paid ;)
either of these a good shout?
 
Since we're talking about running and long term joint health, how's about we open the powerlifting can of worms.

Are all of us squatters and deadlifters in for a world of pain in our old age since most people tell us just how bad it is for ours knees?
 
Kris_90 said:
What does everyone else do for cardio?
Click to expand...

Skipping. I was trail running for years previously - about 20 miles a week - but just got fed up of the pain, mud, cold and rain! Anything in the gym machine wise bores me to tears and is even more soul destroying. Each to their own of course. But I love skipping - just the right amount of learning curve/practise required to keep things interesting and as an added bonus it hits my calves, which often get neglected. Other than a sport you enjoy, this gets my recommendation. If you give it a go - get a semi decent steel cable rope that's nice and fast.
 
neoboy said:
Since we're talking about running and long term joint health, how's about we open the powerlifting can of worms.

Are all of us squatters and deadlifters in for a world of pain in our old age since most people tell us just how bad it is for ours knees?
Click to expand...

No, because that urban myth was based on a bad study from the 50s or 60s. Compound lifts strengthen bones and improve ROM and connective tissue, etc. If your form sucks, however, then you probably will be in for bulging/herniated discs, ligament/tendon problems and shoulder issues... but this will happen long before you get to 50/60 years old. :)

Cardio - done properly and supported by decent mobility/etc. (same as strength work) - can stave off cardiovascular problems without the associated gashitis that comes from people doing "Couch to z0mg let's do a Half Marathon..."

There are benefits to both and both should be undertaken in some shape or form...
 
mrthingyx said:
No, because that urban myth was based on a bad study from the 50s or 60s. Compound lifts strengthen bones and improve ROM and connective tissue, etc. If your form sucks, however, then you probably will be in for bulging/herniated discs, ligament/tendon problems and shoulder issues... but this will happen long before you get to 50/60 years old. :)

Cardio - done properly and supported by decent mobility/etc. (same as strength work) - can stave off cardiovascular problems without the associated gashitis that comes from people doing "Couch to z0mg let's do a Half Marathon..."

There are benefits to both and both should be undertaken in some shape or form...
Click to expand...

I can definitely see how likes of Eddie Hall or power lifters who push beyond human limits can have problems going into old age. Then you have the explosion of Crossfit lately and some quite frankly awful PTs and advice out there with worse form that follows and constant push for maximum RMs.

Think at 29 I'm becoming more aware of listening to my body now and not pushing too hard. My biggest problem over the years with me coming back was coming back into it too quickly. Having done powerlifting and played rugby/football/basketball in my teens until I had a knee injury from a bad tackle, I have some degree of muscle memory and strength tends to come back quite quickly.

Problem though is that I've neglected mobility and smaller muscles which leads to inevitable injuries and me then losing motivation while I wait to recover. I tend to yo yo with that "coach to amateur athlete in 2 months" mentality and something I'm trying to stop now.

I can comfortably manage to run a mile and even longer in current poor shape and heavy weight like I did last week but I'm then struggling with shin and knee pain the next day. So as tempting as that is, one of the biggest challenges is actually patience. I'm already trying to think long term about what impact the exercises will have on my body rather than pushing for that "gotta look good in a v-neck in 3 months" mindset.
 
Had an MRI on my hip this month. Turns out I've got an impingement and its more worn than it should be for a guy my age.

I was planning on getting back into squatting again but I'm gonna have to be strict with physio and mobility work while waiting for them to try a steroid injection into it.

Worst part about getting old is the impact that it has on training. I'm 32 but feel about 50 at times.

Rest of my training is going great though. Feeling strong and I've got a good routine going.
 
Kris_90 said:
I agree with the running comments but I can't find anything that burns calories as fast as running does nor makes me feel like I've improved my endurance.

What does everyone else do for cardio?
Click to expand...

It's best not to think of cardio in terms of calorie burn, mainly as most estimates tend to be overly optimistic and also it encourages people to get into that line of thinking where you're thinking 'ran x amount so I can eat y amount'. I just tend to try and have an active lifestyle - a lot of brisk walking (and sprinting for the train!), cycle now and again, go swimming now and again and have a yoga teacher that always wants us to be at the edge of what we're capable of* - rather than doing dedicated cardio which I tend to find boring. If I felt like I needed to some proper conditioning work for a reason then I'd probably pick some low impact HIIT that was fairly easy to maintain technique with (not while dieting though as it's hard on recovery) since stuff like sprinting even at a pro level has a higher injury rate than running. Ultimately it's a sort of 'am I fit enough to do the things I want to do' sort of thing, to which currently it seems like I am.



Oh and mrthingyx's favourite - DBSS - impossible not to be a sweaty wreck after some high rep sets of that. Horrid exercise.
 
GiraffePencils said:
Quick change of subject (Though talking of cardio I do rowing because it's horrible => good for you)
I was looking at vids of my squat form, my feet are rolling inwards when I go down.
Now I'm wearing converse, and tbh when I used to run I was told I needed support on my arch.

Are actual weightlifting shoes the way to go?
I've found some Do-Win and some POWERLIFT.3 for sub 60, and while I really should be cutting back spending.
I also just got paid ;)
either of these a good shout?
Click to expand...

Yes weightlifting shoes will generally give an automatic improvement there because they offer more lateral stability although you may benefit from the 'knees out' cue as well if you consistently let your knees drift inside your toes due to ankle-rollage (want knees/toes aligned when looking at them face on... or perhaps big toe-on more accurately). Pretty much all of them are fit for purpose these days, it just depends on personal preference - I can't stand how the Do-Wins look even if there's nothing wrong with them as a weightlifting shoe.
 
neoboy said:
Since we're talking about running and long term joint health, how's about we open the powerlifting can of worms.

Are all of us squatters and deadlifters in for a world of pain in our old age since most people tell us just how bad it is for ours knees?
Click to expand...

Longetivty in elite powerlifting seems to be a bit of an issue but ultimately the vast majority of people using powerlifting principles for training aren't going to be competing at the top level or even competing at all, so as long as they're sensible and aren't silly with things like true 1RM attemps or ignoring technique deficiencies. Lifting weights in general carries a lot less injury risk than contact sports though so as long as you leave your ego at the door you can be friends with a barbell till you pop your clogs.
 
GiraffePencils said:
Quick change of subject (Though talking of cardio I do rowing because it's horrible => good for you)
I was looking at vids of my squat form, my feet are rolling inwards when I go down.
Now I'm wearing converse, and tbh when I used to run I was told I needed support on my arch.

Are actual weightlifting shoes the way to go?
I've found some Do-Win and some POWERLIFT.3 for sub 60, and while I really should be cutting back spending.
I also just got paid ;)
either of these a good shout?
Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with weightlifting shoes: they will help, but your problem is probably your glootz med. Also, make sure your entire kinetic chain is tighter than a tight thing so imagine using your toes to grab the floor...

For the lolz, take a video whilst doing some goblet squatting. Then take another video with a light band (bike inner tube will do) around your knees and try and squat with knees out over toes against that resistance. And then do 3 sets of 10.

Then take a video without the band.

If you want to try weightlifting shoes for free, get your dad's wedding shoes and hit the gym. Old-school lifters used to wear formal shoes because of the unyielding sole and heel lift... so get to it and see how you go.

Lifting shoes do not remove the need to squat properly. :)
 
Warbie said:
Skipping. I was trail running for years previously - about 20 miles a week - but just got fed up of the pain, mud, cold and rain! Anything in the gym machine wise bores me to tears and is even more soul destroying. Each to their own of course. But I love skipping - just the right amount of learning curve/practise required to keep things interesting and as an added bonus it hits my calves, which often get neglected. Other than a sport you enjoy, this gets my recommendation. If you give it a go - get a semi decent steel cable rope that's nice and fast.
Click to expand...

I'm trying to learn but my coordination is letting me down at the moment. It's proper hard CV work though, from someone who does 6-8 hours on a bike every week
 
mrthingyx said:
Nothing wrong with weightlifting shoes: they will help, but your problem is probably your glootz med. Also, make sure your entire kinetic chain is tighter than a tight thing so imagine using your toes to grab the floor...

For the lolz, take a video whilst doing some goblet squatting. Then take another video with a light band (bike inner tube will do) around your knees and try and squat with knees out over toes against that resistance. And then do 3 sets of 10.

Then take a video without the band.

If you want to try weightlifting shoes for free, get your dad's wedding shoes and hit the gym. Old-school lifters used to wear formal shoes because of the unyielding sole and heel lift... so get to it and see how you go.

Lifting shoes do not remove the need to squat properly. :)
Click to expand...

I would say I'm struggling to properly engage my glutes, in my other thread RDL were suggested light ones before hand, I tried that today and dunno how well it helped.
Also doing the bracing exercises from JTS on youtube, but damn I need to work on it, I struggle when there's a bar on my back!

I'll try the videoing with band, see how that works out.

most of all I'm insulted you think I don't own formal shoes:eek:!!
 
Hi Guys I'm new to this thread and have been following the gym rats for a while I just wanted to share my story. I'm a 44 year old male and last summer my doctor told me I was heading for diabetes I was prescribed statins & blood pressure tables. The statins did not agree with me and quite soon after i started to feel very fatigued, I tried to loose weight but every thing I tried failed.

I joined a gym September 2016 & hired a PT I weighed in at 15st.4lb /97kg or 215lbs.
My stats: 5ft.8
Waist: 44in
Hips: 41in
Chest: 44in
BF: 39%

My personal trainer takes me 2 sessions per week and it totally transformed my mind, body & my outlook on life. Refocusing my goals & increasing my gains month by month. Long story short and after a few setbacks "rotator cuff & intercostal muscle" I achieved my goal
My new stats:
Waist: 31in
Hips: 33in
Chest: 38in
BF: 25.4%

I would say the hardest part of achieving these goals was not the training blood.. sweat.. tears or even the injuries... It was the food once I got my head round the food and the quality of the food coupled with the training the weight just fell off.

My new goal is to put on around 7lbs of lean muscle and I'm finding this quite hard as I'm new to strength training and I'm very addicted to cardio having done it for the last 6 months Grit cardio + plyo & HIIT + a few spin classes per week.

Totally addicted to the gym now as it gives me "my own time" if you know what I mean away from the stresses of life in general.

Weeks Training plan:
Mon: Strength upper body + chest followed by spin
Tue: PT session Strength - focusing on technique "olympic bars" + Core followed by spin
Wed: Strength Back + lower body
Thur: rest day
Friday: Strength more calisthenics based workout + core
Sat: PT session with a beastly finisher followed spin
Sun: rest day

Need advice guys... the physio I attend every 6 or so weeks to get a rub down is an ex-crossfit champion and she is talking me into trying it out. After a physio sessions at her crossfit gym she will teach me something new. Now I know nothing about crossfit apart from the fact it looks totally brutal on the body. I'm getting on in years a bit now! "I think I would definitely pick up an injury more easy doing CF"... But I kinda wanna try it. But thing is I love the gym I'm at so much it makes me feel like I'm cheating lol. What should I do?
 
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