***The 2020 Gym Rats Thread*** ᕦ( ͠°◞ °)ᕥ

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ShortWarning said:
Okidoki. I'm hoping you guys can take a look at my form and see if there's anything I could be doing that could be causing back issues although funnily enough my back is fine today.

Squats:


Deadlifts:



I realised I wasn't bracing for those deadlifts because they didn't feel heavy which is really bad, I know.

Also; I went on a bit of a lockdown cut (I couldn't lift so I figured I may as well). Went from about 71kg to 61.95kg (about 2kg of that was due to illness at the beginning of lockdown though). Honestly felt really skinny so I'm back on a calorie surpluss (or at least building to it). Anyway, results below for anyone interested:

78nD07X.jpg

Curious to see if I can achieve much of a change in 6 months, I'm sure it'll mostly be fat. :p
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Squat:
  • You're tilting onto your toes in the hole, so get your chest up and your hips back
  • Your core seems a bit soft but it could just be the way your t-shirt moves...
Deadlift:
  • Mostly fine, but you start with your upper body slightly round...
  • This might make it harder to get the weight through your heels for ultimate points and - if you wind up training REALLY heavy - start hurting.
And seminaked pics are always good. ;)
 
Used the work gym today. Maxed out every machine. My home free weight routine has made/kept me strong. I wasn’t sure how well it would apply. Especially for lat pull downs.
 
mrthingyx said:
Squat:
  • You're tilting onto your toes in the hole, so get your chest up and your hips back
  • Your core seems a bit soft but it could just be the way your t-shirt moves...
Deadlift:
  • Mostly fine, but you start with your upper body slightly round...
  • This might make it harder to get the weight through your heels for ultimate points and - if you wind up training REALLY heavy - start hurting.
And seminaked pics are always good. ;)
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for taking the time!

Squat:
I can try keeping my chest up but I have really tight hip flexors which impinge my movement slightly, the more upright I am the more it seems to be a problem.
I think my core is a little soft tbh, I wasn't going to wear a belt until 100kg but I'm only 1 session off of that now so may as well wear it which may help. I haven't trained in bjj since before lockdown which used to keep my core in check.

Deadlift:

I can see my upper body rounding but I just can't seem to straighten it. Are there any cues which can help me fix this?

Thanks again!
 
Russian Baby Makers on the regular, do a YouTube hip opening class (Tom Merrick or some yoga chicks) a couple of times a week. Also do these or similar stuff the same cues apply for like dead-bugs and the hollow-body gymnastic position; sometimes people take the chest-up cue too far and puff it up to the point you can’t actually create tension in the core.
 
ShortWarning said:
Thanks so much for taking the time!

Squat:
I can try keeping my chest up but I have really tight hip flexors which impinge my movement slightly, the more upright I am the more it seems to be a problem.
I think my core is a little soft tbh, I wasn't going to wear a belt until 100kg but I'm only 1 session off of that now so may as well wear it which may help. I haven't trained in bjj since before lockdown which used to keep my core in check.

Deadlift:

I can see my upper body rounding but I just can't seem to straighten it. Are there any cues which can help me fix this?

Thanks again!
Click to expand...

Somnambulist has the best advice on remediation, here. :)

Practically, I would concentrate on your squat WITHOUT a belt first because that way you know your squat is rock solid.

My real concern is that you're on your toes rather than midfoot with your squat: you do need to get your hips back with low bar (or do high bar proper squatting, but that is another thread! ;)) because you will be self-limiting otherwise.
 
mrthingyx said:
Somnambulist has the best advice on remediation, here. :)

Practically, I would concentrate on your squat WITHOUT a belt first because that way you know your squat is rock solid.

My real concern is that you're on your toes rather than midfoot with your squat: you do need to get your hips back with low bar (or do high bar proper squatting, but that is another thread! ;)) because you will be self-limiting otherwise.
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Okay, thanks. I will concentrate on that. I feel I can do it but currently if I break by moving my bum back (instead of down) I tend to hyper extend my back which I think may be part of the problem. Practice practice.
 
I wouldn’t say either are particularly disastrous. You’ll always get some variation in form, especially going heavy. Bar does travel forward slightly with your squat, just brace more, chest up a bit. Deadlift there’s barely any rounding, nothing that will do harm anyway.
 
I'd like to add that it only takes a very small shift to have a large effect.
When you're told you're too forward/back, it's very easy to overcompensate.
Really try tiny tiny changes, or even just really focussing your mind on the muscles for a set.

People often try a few ques, create new problems, then give up on it and go back to what they did before until failure
 
GiraffePencils said:
I'd like to add that it only takes a very small shift to have a large effect.
When you're told you're too forward/back, it's very easy to overcompensate.
Really try tiny tiny changes, or even just really focussing your mind on the muscles for a set.

People often try a few ques, create new problems, then give up on it and go back to what they did before until failure
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Agreed. I don’t use many cues anymore, nor do I rely on a mirror. It’s more about feel and balance.

Squats I only really think about keeping the bar over mid foot and my knees out.

Deadlifts mainly my chest up, although I’m going to add trying to keep my stomach down slightly as there is a tiny bit of rounding creeping in when getting fatigued.
 
So after taking the advise on switch grip for the last sets of deadlifts in my Madcow i just managed the following (after squats and OHP)

5 x 90 KG
5x 110 KG
5x 125 KG
5x 142 KG

Then i thought i would try switch grip 1RM

1x 150 KG - PB
1x 155 KG - PB
1x 160 KG - PB
1x 165 KG - PB
1x 170 KG - PB
1x 175 KG - PB
1x 180 KG - PB

Tried 180 for a second 1 rep, but didn't feel it and didn't want to push to injure

Very pleased with that, i know its not huge weight compared to some, but its the most ive ever lifted and im super happy!
 
To be fair going up in 5s for that many lifts probably reduces your 1RM by the end. Also, every other person is irrelevant, as long as you are happy and setting your own personal challenges. There’s always someone who can or will lift more.
 
Yeah tbh I just went with it to see what was comfortable. I've never really pushed deadlifts because our free work gym never had the weights too.

Going to stick to to program for reps and see how it goes from here.
 
I can't incline DB press for ****, just gave up at 26kg felt my shoulder pain coming on. Dunno what I've done to it.

On the other hand I listened to Arnie's advice yesterday and I shocked the muscle lol. Started at 80 on the BP.

Still I consider that poor, as I can close grip bench press 60kg for 8 sets of 3 no problem. I believe my shoulder is limiting me..
 
B&W said:
I can't incline DB press for ****, just gave up at 26kg felt my shoulder pain coming on. Dunno what I've done to it.

On the other hand I listened to Arnie's advice yesterday and I shocked the muscle lol. Started at 80 on the BP.

Still I consider that poor, as I can close grip bench press 60kg for 8 sets of 3 no problem. I believe my shoulder is limiting me..
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Then don’t. Do flat bench and overhead press and listen to your body. There are alternatives that work your upper chest.
 
You also need to build a strong back to control bigger weights, this is especially apparent with dumbbells as they require more work from your upper back/scapular to stabilise. If your shoulder doesn’t stay pinned back at all times when pressing you will get shoulder issues.
 
Yes I think I will not try incline bench dB or BB. Shoulder had slight pain when I was doing Arnold Press. But I finished the sets. Even on the shoulder press machine there is a bit of pain, but I think I need to ignore it ...
 
B&W said:
Yes I think I will not try incline bench dB or BB. Shoulder had slight pain when I was doing Arnold Press. But I finished the sets. Even on the shoulder press machine there is a bit of pain, but I think I need to ignore it ...
Click to expand...

Have you tried decline bench? It’s not for everyone, but surprisingly it’s meant to work your upper chest decently. I also never had shoulder pain on this movement.
 
I’ve lost a bit of muscle from my back - a little from rear delts and lats I think. I do miss the hammer pull down. That said, my arms, chest and shoulders are bigger and seem stronger than ever. My legs aren’t far off.

I’ve psyched myself out a tiny bit deadlifting. I’m over thinking my perfectly flat back tbh, I just need to get on with it and push more. I happened to record one lift where my back did round slightly that didn’t help. Funny enough I had a sore back yesterday (I think it’s from the bed I use in the week), so I didn’t push my deadlifts too hard - the day after I actually have no soreness.

Yet my squat seems on track to be better than ever.

One thing is for sure, exclusively using free weights has improved my all round strength and leanness - as has replacing a cooked breakfast for a very large milk/protein/nut/fruit/oat smoothie.
 
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