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

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B&W said:
These Bulgarian split squats are so hard to pull off. I barely did 2 sets of 4 just bodyweight. And with awful form...
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How are you setting them up? There’s a certain amount of individuality when it comes to the height and distance of where you can plant your non-active* foot in such a way as to be comfortable and efficient, e.g. a standard bench may be too high for some people. My preference has always been to use a racked barbell or the Smith machine bar and a squat pad (one of the few actual uses for it) or rolled mat to provide some cushioning since you can adjust the height appropriately.

If balance is an issue then buy a wooden broomstick handle (also a good random thing to have in a home gym for doing shoulder dislocations and some other mobility work) and use that as a sort of walking stick-like aid.

*The rear leg will never be totally inactive in any split squat variation, but the goal should be to minimise how much it helps drive you back up - it should just be there for stability - which obviously makes it harder but also means you won’t have to use as much weight.
 
Somnambulist said:
How are you setting them up? There’s a certain amount of individuality when it comes to the height and distance of where you can plant your non-active* foot in such a way as to be comfortable and efficient, e.g. a standard bench may be too high for some people. My preference has always been to use a racked barbell or the Smith machine bar and a squat pad (one of the few actual uses for it) or rolled mat to provide some cushioning since you can adjust the height appropriately.

If balance is an issue then buy a wooden broomstick handle (also a good random thing to have in a home gym for doing shoulder dislocations and some other mobility work) and use that as a sort of walking stick-like aid.

*The rear leg will never be totally inactive in any split squat variation, but the goal should be to minimise how much it helps drive you back up - it should just be there for stability - which obviously makes it harder but also means you won’t have to use as much weight.
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A lot of it can also be practise and motor patterns... A lot of those muscles might not be used to getting beasted in that way...
 
Looking for a bit of advice.

I'm not happy with my level of flexibility and stability/strength that I currently have. I see this when I undertake any of my outdoor pursuits I get niggly injuries.

I'm not looking to join a gym but, what sort of routines and equipment could I use at home (space limited) to achieve my goals? Can I simply adapt a strength program to use dumbbells? Suppose i would need to do something else for the flexibility as well?
 
Back up to 110kg squats (at 64kg bw).

I'm still coming onto my toes on some reps and I don't really know if I'm going low enough but I haven't had any back pain for a while and I feel my form is still better than pre lock down:


Only problem is I have to self isolate for 2 weeks now (extended household has confirmed corona). :( I'll probably drop the weight by 5kg when I go back to build back up or do you think it's unlikely I'll have lost strength in 2 weeks. (Technically I can go back a week Thursday really).
 
Mobility is really important to do - it won't necessarily make you flexible. Tools you'll need, are foam roller, resistance bands / physio bands, hockey ball / tennis ball, and 30 minutes of your time.

Foam rolling and soft tissue work is really important and helpful for recovery, but also helps keep your supply and mobile.

Adding dynamic and static stretches are useful in addition to soft tissue work.
 
Freefaller said:
Mobility is really important to do - it won't necessarily make you flexible. Tools you'll need, are foam roller, resistance bands / physio bands, hockey ball / tennis ball, and 30 minutes of your time.

Foam rolling and soft tissue work is really important and helpful for recovery, but also helps keep your supply and mobile.

Adding dynamic and static stretches are useful in addition to soft tissue work.
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Thank you - I think flexibility was the wrong term (as you picked up on). I think there is loads of mobility stuff on YouTube so will have a look there and make some purchases.

Will the combination of some dumbbells help to improve strength (not so much for aesthetic reasons).
 
Look for Dr Kelly Starrett - supple leopard - he has some great ways to fix posture, mobility and improving activation during lifting, sitting and every day living.
 
@ShortWarning - Impressive! I squatted today (at 58kg) and managed 70kg 5x5 so it is good to have someone to compare to.

Squat...i think you need to go a little bit lower so you hit 90 degrees but i am not a total expert compared to some on here.
 
Yea, it's right on the line and difficult to tell from the angle. I'll try and get a video from side on when I get back.

Think I'll just repeat 110 instead of dropping back down. It will only have been a week and a half off all said and done.
 
0.8kg away from being ‘obese’, result :D

Hit a 135kg front squat yesterday and 100kg 5x5. Not sure I’ll add another 2.5kg next week. Certainly felt my quads - actually, I’d say I felt it more in my abs. That was after my full back squat cycle too, so very happy. My best leg extension weight was about 140kg, so I’m now in the same ball park.

SideWinder said:
@ShortWarning - Impressive! I squatted today (at 58kg) and managed 70kg 5x5 so it is good to have someone to compare to.

Squat...i think you need to go a little bit lower so you hit 90 degrees but i am not a total expert compared to some on here.
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Looks like low bar, depth doesn’t look terrible, maybe an inch more. Bar path looks decent. If it’s pushing onto toes, brace more, sit back more, back up slightly. It’ll mean generally the bar is coming forward from mid foot pushing centre of gravity forward. It’s caught me out on warmups before, but I’ve been lucky to have the back strength to compensate, but you learn to avoid such mistakes. My main cue these days is bar over mid foot and keeping knees out.
 
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Somnambulist said:
How are you setting them up? There’s a certain amount of individuality when it comes to the height and distance of where you can plant your non-active* foot in such a way as to be comfortable and efficient, e.g. a standard bench may be too high for some people. My preference has always been to use a racked barbell or the Smith machine bar and a squat pad (one of the few actual uses for it) or rolled mat to provide some cushioning since you can adjust the height appropriately.

If balance is an issue then buy a wooden broomstick handle (also a good random thing to have in a home gym for doing shoulder dislocations and some other mobility work) and use that as a sort of walking stick-like aid.

*The rear leg will never be totally inactive in any split squat variation, but the goal should be to minimise how much it helps drive you back up - it should just be there for stability - which obviously makes it harder but also means you won’t have to use as much weight.
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In the gym, step/calf raise thing against the wall (2 of them). It's just the balance that's a problem. Feel like I'll fall over.
 
B&W said:
In the gym, step/calf raise thing against the wall (2 of them). It's just the balance that's a problem. Feel like I'll fall over.
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Fair enough. You can try experimenting with the lead foot position - ideally you want to feel your weight evenly distributed through your foot from beginning to end - as if it's too far forward/back it can make the balance aspect more awkward. Also is it just balance in general from start to finish or the act of descending into a lunge-type position? In either case you could either use an aid or work on some simple balance work during the week (look for beginner yoga balancing poses as there are some like tree pose you can do cleaning your teeth!).
 
The latter, I loose control when descending into the lunge. Am crap at lunges too, something wrong somewhere lol.
 
CaptainRAVE said:
I’m pretty crap at lunges too. Out of curiosity, what are you trying to gain by doing these? If they’re proving technically challenging, try something else?
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I think the fact that I'm so crap with the balance means some muscle is weak somewhere or I'm just not as mobile as I should be.

I stopped lunges a while ago, usually on legs day it is squats, RDL, calf raises, leg press.

Im trying to add this Bulgarian split squat too, feel like if i do it well then I'll get stronger somewhere...
 
CaptainRAVE said:
Back squat, front squat, barbell calf raise, job done.
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Yeah In the end I just did this . First time front squats today, wrists did hurt a bit but I really like them different movement to normal squats plus for me I can get really low on them.
 
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