*** The 2018 Gym Rats Thread ***

clubb699 said:
Well thought i would share this,

I have been doing the gym for 5 years, slowly gaining size well in fact i got to 14 stone from 12 stone 6, i was not happy at the 14 stone weight and felt fat, i was not super strong but could do some average lifts my favorite being pull ups and stuff i carried on with the gym but cut my calories using my fitness pal, i always wanted a six pack from a younger age but but never managed to do it (41 years old) here we go

Hope it motivates someone good luck
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Good stuff. Well done. I started back at the gym a year ago and I've lost about 10kgs (15 off, 5 back again when I wanted to see some strength gains) but I think visible abs are going to be one target for the next year - not really because I think they look good, but because it's fairly easy to measure progress towards it as a goal.
 
garnett said:
Good stuff. Well done. I started back at the gym a year ago and I've lost about 10kgs (15 off, 5 back again when I wanted to see some strength gains) but I think visible abs are going to be one target for the next year - not really because I think they look good, but because it's fairly easy to measure progress towards it as a goal.
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Thank you garnett, well done on losing the 10 kg it all helps i understand where your come from keep grinding away keeping strict and they will appear, keep your portions correct low and regular the key is the diet ab workout for me is once or twice a week that is it ;)

One other thing a nice cheat day once a week does not hurt anyone

Good luck
 
clubb699 said:
Thank you garnett, well done on losing the 10 kg it all helps i understand where your come from keep grinding away keeping strict and they will appear, keep your portions correct low and regular the key is the diet ab workout for me is once or twice a week that is it ;)

One other thing a nice cheat day once a week does not hurt anyone

Good luck
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I forgot to say - 39 this year, so yours is a particularly apt and inspirational example!

Also, like you, I've found MyFitnessPal to be a big help.
 
What are peoples thoughts/actions on holding your breath during heavy lifts. I sometimes do it when in a range of at most 3-5 reps and can lift far more weight and with better form. I guess I started doing it when watching one of the guide videos on OHP and without realising it has become more common in my routine. Haven't had any side effects and while the blood pressure rise must be huge, it is also very brief.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
What are peoples thoughts/actions on holding your breath during heavy lifts. I sometimes do it when in a range of at most 3-5 reps and can lift far more weight and with better form. I guess I started doing it when watching one of the guide videos on OHP and without realising it has become more common in my routine. Haven't had any side effects and while the blood pressure rise must be huge, it is also very brief.
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Valsalva breathing you mean? I think it's important and a help for the big lifts, it helps with bracing when doing them. I wouldn't bother using it for things like rows, pull-ups, lat pulldowns, etc, just the big four moves of deadlift, squat, bench and OHP. Having said that, a lot of people hold their breath on exercises and brace without even thinking about it consciously. I don't really ever need to think about bracing when benching and deadlifting, I just do it, but I find that with the OHP and squat I need to remind myself to do it otherwise I don't feel as braced and stable.

I think it's safe to do so long as you don't have any underlying heart or health conditions.

https://www.muscleforlife.com/valsalva-maneuver/
 
struggling for energy at the moment, don't know if im abit low at ~ 2300 calories a day @ 97kg body weight training 4 days a week.

however my lifts are slowly increasing back up and I don't want to add the extra calories in and pile the fat back. Why does nutrition have to be so hard!
 
kaptainmarc said:
struggling for energy at the moment, don't know if im abit low at ~ 2300 calories a day @ 97kg body weight training 4 days a week.

however my lifts are slowly increasing back up and I don't want to add the extra calories in and pile the fat back. Why does nutrition have to be so hard!
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Stay the course man, it sounds like it's working :D
 
Finally a good set of deads, and on a Wednesday after work. Apart from the last set when I swiped the top of my shin muscle on the way up. Ouch! Trousers next week I guess.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
What are peoples thoughts/actions on holding your breath during heavy lifts. I sometimes do it when in a range of at most 3-5 reps and can lift far more weight and with better form. I guess I started doing it when watching one of the guide videos on OHP and without realising it has become more common in my routine. Haven't had any side effects and while the blood pressure rise must be huge, it is also very brief.
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Breath control is important for bracing, but there are optimal ways of doing it that don't compromise lifts but also reduce the theoretical risk of aneurysm...
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Congrats :)

You definitely demonstrated my breathing comment above well in your lifts :D - I can definitely take a lot away from watching those movements. I really am hoping that I am coming out of my 3-4 month deadlift plateau.
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I exhale forcibly during the concentric of each lift, in my experience it is critical for optimal force production and so I don't have my head explode mid rep :D holding breath can work but I do think it's slightly sub par and carries some additional risks. (all completely anecdotal)
 
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