*** The 2018 Gym Rats Thread ***

[Avenged7Fold]

Some of the exercises i do:

Shoulder press, lateral/front/bent over raises to target different parts of the shoulder, upright barbell row is one i enjoy doing. Face pulls and stuff are good if you have cables available.

Since having quite a nasty shoulder injury i also do bit of regular rotatory cuff work as it helped my recovery and ironed out any pain i felt during pressing movements higher than a slight incline. That i do with light weights lying on my side or with a cable basically adding resistance to the rotating movement while my upper arm is against my body and elbow is bent at a 90 degree angle.

 

[mrthingyx]

Some of the exercises i do:

Shoulder press, lateral/front/bent over raises to target different parts of the shoulder, upright barbell row is one i enjoy doing. Face pulls and stuff are good if you have cables available.

Since having quite a nasty shoulder injury i also do bit of regular rotatory cuff work as it helped my recovery and ironed out any pain i felt during pressing movements higher than a slight incline. That i do with light weights lying on my side or with a cable basically adding resistance to the rotating movement while my upper arm is against my body and elbow is bent at a 90 degree angle.

You have had a shoulder injury and do upright rows? Interesting. You do know that the nature of upright rows can put a fair old abrasive strain on supraspinatus, particularly if you are like most people (including me) that don't have naturally good or trained internal shoulder rotation? Just be VERY careful if your shoulder injury related to impingement in some capacity because some people do not have much room in their shoulder joint. There is nothing more/less intrinsically wrong with the upright row, but it is more likely to exacerbate pre-existing conditions than other exercises...

If you're DESPERATE for trap-ish development, facepulls (which you're already doing) or snatch-grip pulls are much better (and look cooler) than upright rows... and there's less risk associated with them if your mobility isn't what it should/could be.

 

[Avenged7Fold]

The injury was not an impingement but it is rotator cuff related. I have since completely healed with help from my physio, with ultrasound showing no damage and i have regained full movement. I no longer do upright rows as much as i enjoy them and have since replaced them with face pulls as you already suggested.

I will add something about receiving injury advice. I found that with so many people giving me advice based on their knowledge and personal experience of shoulder injuries, i had alternative exercises suggested left right and center, often contradicting. Some completely impossible, some fine and i learnt that the shoulder joint and surrounding tissue is complicated enough that each injury could well be quite unique and so i should take it easy and feel out what i can and can't do rather than dismissing or accepting.

 

[kaptainmarc]

Pulled my first truck today, putting an event on in two weeks so tested all the equipment out and thought i may as well have a go.

pretty cool feeling and not as hard as i thought.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

So I thought I would throw in leg presses after my squat and calves after not leg pressing for years. Geez. I remember why I stopped doing leg presses. Instant knee pain regardless of foot placement. I also seem to have lost flexibility doing these as my heels start to want to raise up. Definitely need to work on the leg press again.

The injury was not an impingement but it is rotator cuff related. I have since completely healed with help from my physio, with ultrasound showing no damage and i have regained full movement. I no longer do upright rows as much as i enjoy them and have since replaced them with face pulls as you already suggested.

I will add something about receiving injury advice. I found that with so many people giving me advice based on their knowledge and personal experience of shoulder injuries, i had alternative exercises suggested left right and center, often contradicting. Some completely impossible, some fine and i learnt that the shoulder joint and surrounding tissue is complicated enough that each injury could well be quite unique and so i should take it easy and feel out what i can and can't do rather than dismissing or accepting.

Pretty much what I found with my AC joint. There were exercises that I could do that plenty of people said I shouldn't do and it healed up fine. The best advice from my physio was to carry on with most exercises (while of course doing all of the shoulder mobility stuff), but if the pain reached a certain threshold and was long lasting then to stop doing that exercise. It has since healed up well.

 

[Syla5]

If you can squat without knee pain then you can leg press without knee pain. Many people normally say if the other way round to you, that they can leg press but not squat without knee pain which is just illogical.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

If you can squat without knee pain then you can leg press without knee pain. Many people normally say if the other way round to you, that they can leg press but not squat without knee pain which is just illogical.

I agree, it is strange. No pain at all squatting and my form is decent as is my depth. Maybe it is because they were at the end of my leg session or because I haven't done them for ages. My knees weren't caving in at all and the path of travel was good. I felt like my back was quickly wanting to round too, so something had clearly tightened up.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

https://barbend.com/powerlifter-dan-green-deadlifts-330kg/

So are sumo deads the way to go now? I only ever see people doing these now. Have never actually tried them myself.

 

[nicktay2605]

https://barbend.com/powerlifter-dan-green-deadlifts-330kg/

So are sumo deads the way to go now? I only ever see people doing these now. Have never actually tried them myself.

I think a lot of guys do sumo DLs because they're easier on the spinal erectors and generally the lift feels 'easier'. There's more quad engagement in the sumo and it puts less strain on the spinal erectors compared to conventional. I tried both and definitely found I could lift more with sumo, but I felt like I was almost cheating a bit. Curiously most of the DL records are held by guys doing conventional.

 

[kaptainmarc]

https://barbend.com/powerlifter-dan-green-deadlifts-330kg/

So are sumo deads the way to go now? I only ever see people doing these now. Have never actually tried them myself.

I love sumo for doing volume, I couldn't lift as much in sumo as in conventional.
and Sumo seems to of helped my conventional pulling

 

[mrthingyx]

https://barbend.com/powerlifter-dan-green-deadlifts-330kg/

So are sumo deads the way to go now? I only ever see people doing these now. Have never actually tried them myself.

I look at it this way: I've never lifted anything in my life using a "sumo-esque" technique, but I do a fair amount from a "regular" deadlift position. Also, I've never seen an Olympic lifter do a first/second pull from a sumo position.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Hopefully Olympic lifters don't start doing them!

Power cut in my gym last night. We all got evacuated! I felt sorry for those in the pool and showers where there wasn't even emergency lighting. It never did come back on last night and it seems to have caused no end of problems closing them gym this morning. Oh well, it gives my shoulders a rest from chest day and I don't think the decline bench press was going to go well for me either. My new earphones were irritating me too.

 

[Somnambulist]

https://barbend.com/powerlifter-dan-green-deadlifts-330kg/

So are sumo deads the way to go now? I only ever see people doing these now. Have never actually tried them myself.

No ... but it's typically the way a lot of powerlifters go because it's a shorter ROM and so if it lets you pull a bigger number in competition (and is still within the rules, which it is) then it'd be silly not to as the aim is to get the highest total and not whinge about it not being fair someone lifted more than you because they pulled sumo and used a big arch/wide grip in the bench to only press a few inches.

The technique can take a bit longer than conventional to get proficient at and there's some slight differences in muscle activation but it's still a pull off the floor. Depends how you're built as well, typically male lifters pull sumo in comp in most of the weight classes except for the really huge ones (whose pulls look like wide stance conventional half the time), but last time I looked female lifters varied a bit more due to more variation in proportions.

If you're not a powerlifter then do whatever if you enjoy it, or don't do them at all.

 

[Somnambulist]

Since Muscleworks took over my gym it's started to attract some real monsters. All sorts of 'why do I even lift' moments every session now when you have stuff like this happening next to you. 25kg bar too (Texas squat bar).

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Since Muscleworks took over my gym it's started to attract some real monsters. All sorts of 'why do I even lift' moments every session now when you have stuff like this happening next to you. 25kg bar too (Texas squat bar).

Had a similar moment tonight when a guy came in and incline benched 130kg. Funnily enough I never see him flat bench much. There is always someone stronger out there, you just have to keep going.

A few moments in there when I have to look at my wedding ring tied to my shoe too

 

[garnett]

Since Muscleworks took over my gym it's started to attract some real monsters. All sorts of 'why do I even lift' moments every session now when you have stuff like this happening next to you. 25kg bar too (Texas squat bar).

What *is* that? 265kg x 7 reps? Urgh.

 

[Somnambulist]

What *is* that? 265kg x 7 reps? Urgh.

Yep. His training partner, who has calves that look bigger than my waist, was doing 190kg incline bench for reps yesterday too.

 

[spluff]

Well I decided to go back to 80kg on Monday and managed to do the 5 x 5 (I rested 2.5 / 3.5 / 5 / 5.5)
I think I will go back to 4 x 10 on Friday (62.5kg)…….
Will do heavy (5x5) on Monday and light (4x10) on Friday....
Cheers

Well I dropped it to 4 x 10 @ 50kg 60 seconds rest and failed on last rep on last set..... (it seems like im not cut out for short rests!)

On Monday I raised it to 82.5 and managed to do 5 5 5 4 4 which I am pleased with.... (rested 3 4.5 5 6)

 

[mrthingyx]

Well I dropped it to 4 x 10 @ 50kg 60 seconds rest and failed on last rep on last set..... (it seems like im not cut out for short rests!)

On Monday I raised it to 82.5 and managed to do 5 5 5 4 4 which I am pleased with.... (rested 3 4.5 5 6)

Progress is progress.

 

[spluff]

90kg here I come