***The 2021 Gym Rats Thread*** ᕦ( ͠°◞ °)ᕥ

[Somnambulist]

Bought a Rip Your Grip wrist roller - gonna make some forearm gains and also keep that golfer's elbow at bay. Easy to DIY... but I'm lazy.

 

[Somnambulist]

I've finally managed to accumulate the necessary equipment to start the stronglifts program. Before that I've been doing my own thing.

Now, my only problem is having room for doing OHP safely. My garage has an angled roof where my rack is on the low side which will have to stay there and so once I progress in weight, I don't fancy lifting the bar off the rack and pacing back to any area where I can do the OHP in case of failure (which I'm currently doing).

So my question to all you Greek Adonis, would I be better doing seated OHP with a bar or standing using dumbbells?

For 5x5, definitely seated barbell. Anything low rep with DBs tends to have a high risk/reward ratio as far as getting them into position, the inherent instability of DBs and the load progression (would recommend getting some 0.5kg plates if you haven't already as it's WAY easier to go from 2.5kg jumps to 1-1.5kg jumps once it gets hard). Never recommend DB stuff for <8 reps.

Additionally with seated, you can set it at a high incline vs 90 degrees - a lot of people butcher OHP because they lack overhead mobility and turn it into more of a standing incline press which can be not so fun for the low back if you lose your bracing and end up looking like a banana. With seated being even slightly inclined you can keep the whole of the back against the pad and are less likely to need to use compensatory movement patterns to complete a rep.

 

[Gooner Leroy]

For 5x5, definitely seated barbell. Anything low rep with DBs tends to have a high risk/reward ratio as far as getting them into position, the inherent instability of DBs and the load progression (would recommend getting some 0.5kg plates if you haven't already as it's WAY easier to go from 2.5kg jumps to 1-1.5kg jumps once it gets hard). Never recommend DB stuff for <8 reps.

Additionally with seated, you can set it at a high incline vs 90 degrees - a lot of people butcher OHP because they lack overhead mobility and turn it into more of a standing incline press which can be not so fun for the low back if you lose your bracing and end up looking like a banana. With seated being even slightly inclined you can keep the whole of the back against the pad and are less likely to need to use compensatory movement patterns to complete a rep.

Thanks for the advice. Seated barbell it is then Would you recommend having the bench on a slight incline and rest my back against it? I was thinking of having the bench flat and sitting upright as that would be more closer to a standing OHP?

Also, should I stick to the one rep for deadlifts at this stage or be looking to do more until I progress to a more substantial weight?

Good idea about getting some 0.5kg plates.

 

[Somnambulist]

Thanks for the advice. Seated barbell it is then Would you recommend having the bench on a slight incline and rest my back against it? I was thinking of having the bench flat and sitting upright as that would be more closer to a standing OHP?

Also, should I stick to the one rep for deadlifts at this stage or be looking to do more until I progress to a more substantial weight?

Good idea about getting some 0.5kg plates.

Go stand flush against a wall, facing away from it. With your arms at your sides, proceed to slowly lift them up out in front of you then over your head (so if you were viewed the side they'd be making a semi-circle). If you can't get your thumbs to touch the wall without you having to arch in the upper back/flare your chest out and break contact with the wall, then you'll have to do the same thing with the OHP. If you're planning on not using any sort of back support when seated... then it's just something to be aware of. A few degrees difference or back support doesn't really matter as far as muscles used; it's still a vertical press, the only real difference between having a back rest is how hard your core has to work to keep your body stable when the load is above your head and your core will get challenged in squats/deadlifts anyway so it's not a big deal.

It's 1 set of 5 for deadlifts not 1 rep for 5 sets (although that was probs a typo). Most advise doing 3 sets of 5 - might as well get more practice and drill the movement pattern in, and as a beginner you won't be using the kind of loads that smash you for a week so it's a good alternation.

 

[Gooner Leroy]

Go stand flush against a wall, facing away from it. With your arms at your sides, proceed to slowly lift them up out in front of you then over your head (so if you were viewed the side they'd be making a semi-circle). If you can't get your thumbs to touch the wall without you having to arch in the upper back/flare your chest out and break contact with the wall, then you'll have to do the same thing with the OHP. If you're planning on not using any sort of back support when seated... then it's just something to be aware of. A few degrees difference or back support doesn't really matter as far as muscles used; it's still a vertical press, the only real difference between having a back rest is how hard your core has to work to keep your body stable when the load is above your head and your core will get challenged in squats/deadlifts anyway so it's not a big deal.

It's 1 set of 5 for deadlifts not 1 rep for 5 sets (although that was probs a typo). Most advise doing 3 sets of 5 - might as well get more practice and drill the movement pattern in, and as a beginner you won't be using the kind of loads that smash you for a week so it's a good alternation.

Thanks for the advice, it's really appreciated. I'll definitely go with the slightly inclined bench approach for the OHP and will up to 3 sets deadlifts to start with. Cheers

 

[B&W]

Yeah somnambulist think I will keep high reps low weight for accessory movements, it certainly should avoid me ******* my elbow up again. I do love drop sets for lateral raises. Don't go higher then 10kg.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Yeah somnambulist think I will keep high reps low weight for accessory movements, it certainly should avoid me ******* my elbow up again. I do love drop sets for lateral raises. Don't go higher then 10kg.

The only thing that ever helped my elbow were hammer curls. The only thing to completely heal my elbow was 10 weeks off during the first lockdown and even then starting back lighter.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

Never thought I’d be squatting nearly 200kg listening to Britney Spears - that must balance out in terms of man points surely?

This lockdown is driving me crazy.

 

[Somnambulist]

April 12th bros. Will shed a tear when I tenderly caress the Texas Power Bar in the squat rack and tell it how much I've missed it.

 

[B&W]

Guys when you count your protein for the day do you only count "proper" protein e.g eggs, milk, cheese, chicken, fish, lamb, whey, peanut butter.

Or do you also count the protein in stuff like "seeded bread" and other sources of carbs. I'm logging my food daily in Samsung Health, I know my protein in my breakfast for today (pre and after workout) was around 75-78 grams. Samsung Health says 87.5 gram due to protein in bread, wheat etc.

I need to have around 220 gram of protein per day (99KG BW) so I often end up doing around 250+ on S Health due to the "fake protein".

Should I include bread and carb based proteins or just count proper full protein for my daily protein count?

 

[Somnambulist]

Generally if you’re tracking all 3 macros I would count all protein sources as one including the secondary sources (like bread), I mean it’s still protein, still 4 calories per gram, it’s just most non-animal sources don’t have the full amino acid spectrum in isolation and have slightly lower bioavailability (although if you have two non-complete ones that complement each other in a meal that. If your meals are typical fitness bro stuff then you’ll be getting complete protein sources each feeding in sufficient amounts to maximise muscle protein synthesis, so it’s not like by counting that stuff towards your overall protein intake you’ll be selling yourself short or something.

If you’re just tracking total calories and protein intake, then you can do either and just be consistent with it.

 

[Merlin5]

Guys, I'm starting to wonder if resistance training at home would benefit me more than jogging to get rid of a bloated or paunch stomach?
If I bought a pair of dumbbells and followed this routine, would that be more effective and see faster results than going jogging 2 or 3 times a week?

 

[LiE]

Guys, I'm starting to wonder if resistance training at home would benefit me more than jogging to get rid of a bloated or paunch stomach?
If I bought a pair of dumbbells and followed this routine, would that be more effective and see faster results than going jogging 2 or 3 times a week?

I always advocate weight training for getting in shape. Whether 15 minutes is going to be enough, probably not. If you lift weights at a sufficient difficulty, you'll gain muscle which in turn will increase your base calorie usage. Over time your body will start to re-composition to hold more muscle and less fat. You do need to make sure you're diet is in check though.

 

[Merlin5]

I always advocate weight training for getting in shape. Whether 15 minutes is going to be enough, probably not. If you lift weights at a sufficient difficulty, you'll gain muscle which in turn will increase your base calorie usage. Over time your body will start to re-composition to hold more muscle and less fat. You do need to make sure you're diet is in check though.

My diet is in check. I'm 5 foot 11 and 61 years old. Nearly 2 months so far of a low carb higher protein diet at 1530 calories a day. I've been losing a pound a week and am currently 12 stone 5 lbs, but my stomach hasn't changed, always looks like I'm pregnant and it's frustrating.

 

[CaptainRAVE]

My diet is in check. I'm 5 foot 11 and 61 years old. Nearly 2 months so far of a low carb higher protein diet at 1530 calories a day. I've been losing a pound a week and am currently 12 stone 5 lbs, but my stomach hasn't changed, always looks like I'm pregnant and it's frustrating.

Running won’t shift it. I used to run 100 miles a month, didn’t eat all that badly and I still had a small belly. Weight training shifted it quickly.

 

[LiE]

My diet is in check. I'm 5 foot 11 and 61 years old. Nearly 2 months so far of a low carb higher protein diet at 1530 calories a day. I've been losing a pound a week and am currently 12 stone 5 lbs, but my stomach hasn't changed, always looks like I'm pregnant and it's frustrating.

The problem with the cardio only approach is yes you'll be losing fat, but also some muscle. You really need a good foundation of muscle to have that transformative effect. Otherwise, you'll end up looking at a skinny rake just so get rid of that last bit of belly fat.

 

[Merlin5]

Running won’t shift it. I used to run 100 miles a month, didn’t eat all that badly and I still had a small belly. Weight training shifted it quickly.

That's good to hear. I've really had my doubts about running for my needs. What weight training did you do, was it at home with a pair of dumbbells? I need some simple routine to follow that I can do at home for however long I need to do it each day or every other day, whatever is recommended. And if it's dumbbells, I guess I'll need a pair where I can change the weights.

 

[LiE]

That's good to hear. I've really had my doubts about running for my needs. What weight training did you do, was it at home with a pair of dumbbells? I need some simple routine to follow that I can do at home for however long I need to do it each day or every other day, whatever is recommended. And if it's dumbbells, I guess I'll need a pair where I can change the weights.

At home is good, but only if you have good drive and good variety of equipment. When things get back to normal, I would join a gym.

May also be a good idea to get your test levels checked, low T due to age will make this process very difficult.

 

[Merlin5]

The problem with the cardio only approach is yes you'll be losing fat, but also some muscle. You really need a good foundation of muscle to have that transformative effect. Otherwise, you'll end up looking at a skinny rake just so get rid of that last bit of belly fat.

I agree with what you're saying. I don't mind jogging/running but feel weights will be better.

 

[Merlin5]

At home is good, but only if you have good drive and good variety of equipment. When things get back to normal, I would join a gym.

May also be a good idea to get your test levels checked, low T due to age will make this process very difficult.

I'm already put off, lol. I don't want a whole load of equipment, I was hoping a simple pair of hand dumbbells with changeable end weights and good consistent effort on my part would be enough. If you're saying it will be difficult for me because of age and I need to spend a lot of money on different gear, well, I don't know.
Joining a gym makes sense but they're quite expensive aren't they?