*** The 2018 Gym Rats Thread ***

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2015 Thread
2016 Thread
2017 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

New Year - New Gains...

 

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I had a great start to last year - 7 months solid of strong lifts - then had an elbow injury and then a shoulder injury... Hoping to start on Monday again and hoping to be injury free.

 

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I tried doing sumo deadlift for the first time on Friday as I think my form is not good on normal deadlift...

My legs felt really sore (never felt that before in all my time doing Squats / normal deadlifts)

Ive been deadlifting 120kg - so jumped in at 90kg sumo - it was much tougher than the 120kg normal deadlift..

Is this what sumos affect the most?

 

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Its so complicated:- don't overtrain / don't undertrain

How do you know if you are overtraining or undertraining?

 

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Why talking just sets when reps is also a huge part of this and weight?

When doing stronglifts some weeks I am doing only 5 sets of chest / ohp / rows / deadlift (the other week 10) - is that suboptimal?

Whereas squats is 15 sets each week...

Im 46 and don't want to undertrain and I don't want to overtrain - just be the most efficient I can be and sensible...

 

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Definitely stronglifts 5x5

 

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Thinking of getting some resistance bands to do straight arm shoulder scapular work (my shoulders are starting to ache again from bench) (hook them around my power cage?)

Anyone recommend where to get them from?

thanks

 

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Dont belts slow down back muscle development though?

 

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strained my neck when doing squats today - so didnt do the rest of my workout....

It hurts only when I bend neck forward - anything I can do to help? any idea how long it will take to heal?

 

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I really dont know ive never hurt my neck before - maybe was my head position? I also tried having bar lower on my back recently....

 

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Which part of your neck? Back or front, or side?

I do deadlifts currently at 130kg

I was doing 95kg squats for 5 sessions and decided to move up to 97.5kg - it felt okay a bit hard....

(also did shrugs on the Wednesday which may have not helped?)

back of neck and movement painful is putting neck forward and a little if I turn it right

 

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well I did shrugs and deadlifts on Wednesday and I must admit it did feel a bit tight thur/fri but not painful

I then did squats and it was definitely not on my neck - I had it much lower than normal - so could it have been my neck position when squat has aggravated what I did on Wednesday?

 

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And people wonder why I say shrugs are dumb?

Take a few days off and then get back in with some proper exercises.

its starting to ease off and starting getting my full range of movement back.... do you think it will be worth having a week off? (ive been training 9 weeks without a break)

I was just doing some shrugs as assistance exercise - what do you recommend for the traps​

 

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Power cleans and snatch grip deadlifts.

And then deadlifts.

I probably kill myself doing power cleans im not so flexible so that prob rules out snatch grip deadlift - I do deadlifts - but cant really see that hitting traps much?

 

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well im doing it in garage so not much space and it looks very technical to do

 

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I do strong lifts 5x5 so I am doing the main heavy lifts....

I just added some shrugs and side raises to the Squat / Shoulder Press / Deadlift day as I felt my traps weren't getting much work (shrugs)....

 

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3 sets !!!!!! - my hands weak after 1 set - I sometimes manage to do an extra 2 or 3 reps....

 

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Just checked my body fat percentage. Now sitting at 11.0% I was pretty surprised considering my cutting hasn't been great over the last 6 weeks or so due to lots of nights out drinking and missing sessions. Still aiming for 10%!

how you calculating bf?

 

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When doing bench press I seem to fail if I sometimes dont wait 4 to 5 mins between sets - but I dont know if I need that rest until I get to it and fail...…. catch 22....

So I could just rest 5 minutes for all sets - but that takes much longer and also is the benefits just as good as waiting 1m30 or 3min?

Or just fail with a shorter wait time but then have to unload bar and reset up.... and not doing all 5...

Can someone give me advice?

I even tried lowering the weight one time and I still failed towards 4th or 5th if I didnt rest 5 minutes!!!!!!

 

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You take as long as you need to between sets, because completing the sets/reps accrues more quality training volume. If you're fatigued from the last set and fail the next one or perform is worse than if you'd have rested more, you end up doing less overall work and lifting less than you could have, which means less gains.

Short rests can be useful if you're supersetting isolation exercises or doing specific rest-pause protocols like Myo Reps, but for straight sets work you're just making things needlessly hard. What you're running into is one of the problems of 5x5 programs once you start leaving the novice stage; gym sessions can take ages as you typically have 3 exercises, each with 5 sets (plus warm-ups) which can easily take 90mins.

Ok cheers for that I will then start increasing weight as I was trying to get it down to 1m30 sec rest for all 5 sets...….

Probably do the first 2 on 1m30 and then rest 5mins for the last 3...…..