*** The 2018 Gym Rats Thread ***

[DrToffnar]

I had a similar issue when i started dumbbell presses. I found my form was horrible when i first started because my muscles were not use to stabilizing the dumbbells. This resulted in my chest not feeling like it was getting hit properly and my technique being all over the place. I dropped the weight and after a very short while nailing my form and allowing my stabilizing muscles to catch up, i could increase the weight steadily.

As far as chest and triceps exercises that require minimal equipment, chest and triceps dips always wear me out

I don't know why I didn't think about lowering the weight... Seems so obvious xD

I'll give a few sets of dips a go tonight, see if that fires things up. Thanks

 

[spluff]

I don't know why I didn't think about lowering the weight... Seems so obvious xD

Also when doing chest get shoulders back and together and focus on using your chest to move the weight (not just arms)….

 

[kaptainmarc]

Entered into a novice strongman comp today. I did a first timers comp last year some time but it was a shambles this comp has some good feedback so should be fun

its not till May but gives me a reason to train

 

[garnett]

Entered into a novice strongman comp today. I did a first timers comp last year some time but it was a shambles this comp has some good feedback so should be fun

its not till May but gives me a reason to train

Fair play for doing this. I wouldn't have the (atlas) balls. What are the events and minimum scores out of interest? I'd love to know how out of my reach they are!

 

[BRIGGBOY81]

Entered into a novice strongman comp today. I did a first timers comp last year some time but it was a shambles this comp has some good feedback so should be fun

its not till May but gives me a reason to train

Cool, good luck dude

 

[bakes0310]

I've taken to heart the stronglift style workouts where I do a minimum of 1 big compound exercise on each session and I don't see to be getting any stronger anymore been training for about 6 years now.

Bench is 65kg
Ohp is 62kg
Deadlift is 180kg
Squats is 145kg

I've stopped BB bench press now as for 2 years of doing it twice a week and not going up is a waste of time. I have also gained weight to 80kg to 98kg over the years and have got stronger in other areas but weaker in others like I can only just do 25 pushups, I used to do 70. I struggle on pull-ups now with only doing 5.
Why am I getting weaker in certain areas and stalling on the rest?

I train 3 times a week and my program is quite lose with me knowing what I want to do:

Session A
Squats 5 sets ramping up to 125kg, used to be 140kg but haven't tried that high in a long time.
Deadlift 5 sets ramping up to 170kg
Bent over rows 3x6 60kg

Session b

Ohp 5 sets ramping up to 50kg
dB side raises 3x6-8
BB front raises 3x6-8
Bicep curls 3x6-8

Back to session a

Might need to go back to basics again and keep to 5x5 way of working out but then I've trained that way for years do I need to change the rep counts or even the exercises and not do big compound lifts anymore, surely not.

 

[mrthingyx]

Depending on how you ramp, you could be selling yourself short. Even Imade progress with bench in two years, and that says something.

Reset back to 5*5 is one approach, the other is to change the rep ranges and intensity. Also, doing heavy deadlifts and squats on the same day is going to kneecap any progress. As is training OHP and bench (although you don't seem to have bench on your routine, so that might be why...) on the same day.

The other is to ask about your diet and other non-gym routines: sleep, rest, activities, etc. If you are trying to cut, then only noob gainz and needles will help (to a degree)...

 

[bakes0310]

Thanks for the reply, maybe I am selling myself short but I feel if I lift much more I will be lifting to failure. Diet is pretty good I'm sat here now with porridge with two dollops of Greek yogurt and blueberries. I probably need more protein in my diet, I used to have whey protein from protein works.
I train for strength so I always stuck with 5x5, what else is there as I thought 8 reps is for muscle building?

 

[Somnambulist]

Thanks for the reply, maybe I am selling myself short but I feel if I lift much more I will be lifting to failure. Diet is pretty good I'm sat here now with porridge with two dollops of Greek yogurt and blueberries. I probably need more protein in my diet, I used to have whey protein from protein works.
I train for strength so I always stuck with 5x5, what else is there as I thought 8 reps is for muscle building?

Strength and size are largely interconnected for the most part and both muscle and strength can be/are built in a large rep range: the main difference is that you'll be better at expressing your strength in whatever rep range your mostly work in; so lifter A who does most work in the 1-5 range is going to be better at doing 1RM attempts, and lifter B who does most work in the 8-15 range is going to be better at not gassing before they run out of strength in a high rep set. Lifter A's work is going to take longer than lifter B's because lots of sets + rest times, but obviously if they train in a strength sport which tests 1RM it's more beneficial for them to train in those lower rep ranges (principal of specificity).

Either way, the main driver is progressive tension overload: if you're lifting more over time via some combination of weight on the bar / more reps / more sets at some sort of recoverable frequency (for you) then you've got stronger, whether it's 3's, 5's, 8's, 10's or 15's. I think from the literature if all you do is train at 1-3 reps then there is less hypertrophy, but realistically nobody does that as even weightlifters who tend to only do the competition lifts in that range do assistance work at more moderate reps.

 

[kaptainmarc]

Fair play for doing this. I wouldn't have the (atlas) balls. What are the events and minimum scores out of interest? I'd love to know how out of my reach they are!

entered into the U105

200kg trap bar for reps (60 seconds)

200kg yoke 20m drop and turn

80kg Axel floor to overhead for reps (60 seconds)

190kg sled pull and drag

keg carry 80kg/90kg/100kg

need to get quicker with axel and need a stronger deadlift but the other events I feel I will place well in.

 

[mrthingyx]

Ooooft… that looks pretty immense. Does this put you in Ben Kelsey's range?

 

[garnett]

entered into the U105

200kg trap bar for reps (60 seconds)

200kg yoke 20m drop and turn

80kg Axel floor to overhead for reps (60 seconds)

190kg sled pull and drag

keg carry 80kg/90kg/100kg

need to get quicker with axel and need a stronger deadlift but the other events I feel I will place well in.

Ugh. That looks brutal. I take it Yoke, Sled, and Kegs are all for time? (Or maybe sled and kegs are for distance?)

As I say - well done for signing up. That'd keep me motivated. "Stay uninjured" would be my unhelpful advice!

 

[ShortWarning]

Hey all,

Recently got back in to the gym but due to time constraints I'm only able to go twice a week. I thought my lifts were getting good but they're embarrassing compared to everyone's in here. With that being said, I've managed to put on about 6kg since the end of July which I think is okay. I'm worried I'm going to have to stop deadlifts though due to existing and ongoing back problems. (I had a bulging disc years back which I think has caused a weakness).
Any suggestions as to what to do if I have to give up deadlifts? Here's my routine at the mo.

Day 1
Squats - 5x5
DB incline bench - 3x8
DB seated shoulder press - 3x8
I then do similar on machines to make up reps*

Day 2
Deadlifts - 5x5
Lat pull down - 3x8
Seated row machine - 3x8
Shrugs - 3x8

I warm up before each exercise so the 5x5/3x8 is always the heaviest I can lift and most of the time don't get all the reps in (*which is why I also do some work on the machines). As soon as I do, I add some more weight on. I'm quite reluctant to change my routine as I've been making really good gains in both strength and size.

I've bought a belt to see if that helps and luckily squats don't seem to bother it. I'm reluctant to give up deadlifts because I know how important they are but may have to accept defeat so any advice would be welcome.

 

[nicktay2605]

Well first things first, it might be stating the obvious but make sure your deadlift form is perfect:

https://stronglifts.com/deadlift/

Two things I like to think of are having shins that are perpendicular to the floor and I like to roll the bar back towards me a bit before deadlifting. You'll notice some of the best powerlifters do this, notably Brian Shaw and Thor Bjornsson. Way too many people lean over the bar too much, their legs are too straight and they end up putting too much force through their back.

Alternatively, if you're confident your form is on point, trap bar deadlifts put less force on the lower back because the weight is in better alignment with your centre of mass. Or you could do rack pulls, which remove the initial lifting phase of the traditional deadlift and therefore also minimise unwanted shearing forces placed on the lower back. Another option is barbell hip thrusts.

 

[ShortWarning]

Well first things first, it might be stating the obvious but make sure your deadlift form is perfect:

https://stronglifts.com/deadlift/

Two things I like to think of are having shins that are perpendicular to the floor and I like to roll the bar back towards me a bit before deadlifting. You'll notice some of the best powerlifters do this, notably Brian Shaw and Thor Bjornsson. Way too many people lean over the bar too much, their legs are too straight and they end up putting too much force through their back.

Alternatively, if you're confident your form is on point, trap bar deadlifts put less force on the lower back because the weight is in better alignment with your centre of mass. Or you could do rack pulls, which remove the initial lifting phase of the traditional deadlift and therefore also minimise unwanted shearing forces placed on the lower back. Another option is barbell hip thrusts.

Thanks for the reply. I've had a couple of people check my form is okay and it appears to be. Just watched an old video back. My head is up, squating more or less 90 degrees on the initial lift, back looks straight.

Are trap bar lifts just as good? I used one before and they kind of felt like half reps.

 

[nicktay2605]

Thanks for the reply. I've had a couple of people check my form is okay and it appears to be. Just watched an old video back. My head is up, squating more or less 90 degrees on the initial lift, back looks straight.

Are trap bar lifts just as good? I used one before and they kind of felt like half reps.

I think most lifters would advocate mixing in both, but the trap bar deadlift is certainly better for someone who is experiencing back pain when deadlifting or has a previous back injury. Reps with a trap bar will feel easier because of the way the weight is positioned relative to your centre of gravity, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are less beneficial. There's a good comparison of the two on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K9wTlqg_OE

 

[BRIGGBOY81]

learnt a valuable lesson this week..... man flu and the gym dont like each other

 

[ShortWarning]

I think most lifters would advocate mixing in both, but the trap bar deadlift is certainly better for someone who is experiencing back pain when deadlifting or has a previous back injury. Reps with a trap bar will feel easier because of the way the weight is positioned relative to your centre of gravity, but that doesn't necessarily mean they are less beneficial. There's a good comparison of the two on Youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7K9wTlqg_OE

Thanks, I watched the video, looks good. I'm honestly not sure the gym I go to even has a trap bar, I'll have to go searching and use it if they do.

 

[spluff]

Hi I'm after a bit of advice again on my bench

I have failed 78.5kg 3 days @ 5x5 (4th rep on 4th and 5set with 5 mins break)

So I decided to drop it back to 70kg and try 8 x 4 - I could only manage 8 7 6 5 5 (I decided to do an extra 5 as I failed)

What should I do on my next session on Friday?

I really want to get past my plateau at 78.5...

Cheers

 

[nicktay2605]

Hi I'm after a bit of advice again on my bench

I have failed 78.5kg 3 days @ 5x5 (4th rep on 4th and 5set with 5 mins break)

So I decided to drop it back to 70kg and try 8 x 4 - I could only manage 8 7 6 5 5 (I decided to do an extra 5 as I failed)

What should I do on my next session on Friday?

I really want to get past my plateau at 78.5...

Cheers

What sort of rest periods are you taking between each set? What part of the press are you struggling most with? If you're failing with the initial push-off then you could incorporate some pause presses into your workout (make sure you drop the weight a bit when doing these). If you're failing just before lockout then it could be your triceps need building up a bit. Speaking of contributing muscle groups, a strong back and shoulders will help form a good base so make sure those are being trained regularly. Finally, I'm assuming you've covered this already but make sure your form is spot on. Retract your scapula, bench with your arms at about a 45-60 degree angle to your body, engage your glutes and use leg drive.