[[[The 2022 Gym Rats Thread]]] ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ

Somnambulist

Somnambulist

Somnambulist

Soldato
Joined
17 Jun 2010
Posts
12,476
Location
London
New year, new gains!

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Last year's thread
*** Big Fat Weight Loss Thread ***
Official Home Gym Building Thread
2022 Powerlifting Totals Thread (placeholder)

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Hierarchy of importance for Nutrition
Hierarchy of importance for Training
How to squat
How to bench
How to conventional deadlift
How to sumo deadlift
Addressing weaknesses in the above ^^^
Exercise demonstrations (scroll down for individual playlists for each muscle/muscle groups)
Food macro cheat sheet

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I might actually post this year!

In all seriousness, I have gone through lockdown with a slapdash approach to training and only in the past two/three months have I done anything structured.

Currently on my second HST cycle because its easy, relatively short workouts fit with my daily WFH grind.

Pics to follow. At some point.
 
I literally did nothing the first lockdown of 2020, not even any cardio! And have been chasing my tail ever since to try and get back to where I was, it's not been helped since June 2020, I've picked up a number of injuries that have curtailed progress.
Feel in a decent place at the moment now though. Don't think upper body is as strong as it was before (did pull my chest in September of last year which didn't help) but ascetically probably better. Legs are probably back to what they were strength wise start of 2020 but I'm a bit lighter so that's probably a win. I've been doing a 2 day split. Chest/Back and then Legs/Shoulders, been quite enjoying it for a while now. In a 45/50 minute odd workout can fit in the heavier lifts and some accessories.
 
Something, something, gonna train again apparently!!

Anyone here aware of the Kneesovertoes guy and followed any of his rountines / plans
 
Just tested positive with covid so off for a week at least. :(

This doesn't add anything, just venting.

Do you guys think 3 days is enough for a proper hypertrophy routine to see decent growth (if everything else is in check)?

Currently working on my deadlift pb, then squats then I want to go full on hypertrophy but only have 3 days available.
 
ShortWarning said:
Just tested positive with covid so off for a week at least. :(

This doesn't add anything, just venting.

Do you guys think 3 days is enough for a proper hypertrophy routine to see decent growth (if everything else is in check)?

Currently working on my deadlift pb, then squats then I want to go full on hypertrophy but only have 3 days available.
Click to expand...

Yes.
 
How hard should your training be and when are you overtraining?
I follow a couple popular YouTubers Greg doucette and Ryan Humiston and they talked about 90% of gym goers train know where near being overtrained.

I tend to do 4 sets per exercise, today consisted of mostly supersets. And the sets went like this.

Set 1 done it but I knew that set 2 would be difficult.
Set 2 only just but the last few reps were half reps.
Set 3 done the set but half the set was full reps, then they were quarter half reps, then the last few reps were quarter reps with the last rep I missed out on.
Set 4 managed half a set with only about two of them being a full rep before they decended to quarter reps and having to put the weights down else I would drop them.

I've been training like this for a few months now and since I've been doing this I've noticed a lot more muscle growth, why is that, is it simply I'm training harder now and my body has to adapt to it. I'm no longer doing heavy weights anymore, instead I'm doing a huge amount more reps in the space of 45 minute sessions and being a bit more conscious of how much protein I'm having.
 
When-unsure-how-to-progress-flowchart.png
 
I tried sumo deadlifts today for the first time ever, felt fine & did my 5x5 but not sure if I should switch from conventional - might work up to my 1RM and see which I prefer at the top.
 
was around 83-84 kg at christmas. Now at 78kg and starting to lift weights and have started boxing. hopefully i can keep updating here for myself more than anything to look back on.
 
Nice work, my weight loss journey is more like a flat line!! Ive been going since before christmas and only dropped 1kg in total. Slow and steady. Need to up my walking and so started doing that this week. Ive kept calories consistent so i know at least roughly what maintenance is for me.
 
Syla5 said:
Something, something, gonna train again apparently!!

Anyone here aware of the Kneesovertoes guy and followed any of his rountines / plans
Click to expand...

It's funny how cyclic training stuff is - things go out of fashion, get forgotten then someone brings it back in a shinier package and suddenly it's like a brand new thing again. That said, some of his stuff is definitely useful as far as pre-hab and strengthening problem areas people often have (knees, low back etc) with progressions etc so I just take what's useful for me I hadn't thought about (although I've been doing things like Jefferson Curls for years already) rather than follow a whole program on top of my regular training.
 
Yeah thats it, the main thing im looking to workout is how i can fit in the best bits around my 4 workouts per week, daily mobility/stretching, and walks!
 
Yeah there's only so much you can do in a day when you're not a full-time athlete.

I'd just make a list of priorities and work on the most important one, then once I was seeing the improvement in whatever problem lift the kotg's stuff is addressing go to the second on the list etc. So if I hypothetically had kneebola for whatever reason, I'd do his stuff for knees when convenient, then assuming progress test/retest the lifts that aggravated said kneebola to see if the issue was fixed and if yes move onto something else, maintaining that positive adaptation by integrating the ability to use a greater ROM comfortably on my existing lifts where possible.
 
i have thrown in 5 mins of backwards walking to warm up for every workout so far. On days where I do mobility I often throw in the KOT split squat. I do feel i could be getting more out of my mobility time by doing more of the KOTG's stuff instead of some of the stretching I am doing.

Very tempted to sign up for 1 month and just download the programs so I can then pick the bits like you suggest to work on.
 
Sounds good. I’d probably replace most of the stretching unless you’re doing it for a specific purposes like increasing ROM in a particular area to help with better positions in a lift or to reduce a restriction that’s impacting your quality of life. Not much utility in it otherwise other than it can feel nice (doesn’t seem to reduce injury potential as once believed, for example).I say that as someone who is working on being able to do the pancake, pike, drop-back into bridge etc, does intense stretching a couple of times a week, daily limbering* work and spent a few years going to a pretty intense yoga class twice a week.

*Limbering is just playing around in positions that take things to whatever the comfortable end range is that day; your ROM in any given area is what it is because that’s the ROM you spend the majority of time in, so while you can use stretching to increase ROM temporarily, to really make those positions permanent and effortless to access you have to actually integrate them into daily life.
 
pre workouts im doing a quick warmup routine, 5 mins backwards walking, some banded glute bridges, leg swings (front/back + side/side), ankle band mobilisation as specifically got stiff ankles, a 10kg goblet squat moving around various positions at depth, and the McGill big 3.

For my more specific stretching and mobility routines its most of the above + hip flexor banded push, piriformis stretch, hamstring bridges, a full hamstring stretch and calf stretching, then some time with my massage gun on any particular tight spots.

Main goals are to improve hamstring ROM and Ankle ROM as both seem to be limiting factors, and loosen up my hips in general.
 
I’m at a funny stage really. My December stomach bug and Covid booster destroyed me and I lost 4kg. So I’m trying to build back up.

Deadlift is still progressing and at a reasonable speed - although I’ve dropped to 2018/19 weights it feels really good and my back feels good too. Accessory back work is at a higher level than ever. I’m working around 220kg, but doubt I’d hit my 245kg pb until the end of the year. 5kg monthly increases until I feel my back struggling.

Squats are still progressing at the same rate as they have for the last year and a half and I feel that I’m stronger than the max I’m basing my lifts off. Working at around 210kg currently. 2.5kg monthly increases - slow and steady!

Bench feels dead and I’ve had to strip 10kg off my max which is a little tough to swallow (I only raised my max by around 15kg last year), but I’ll see what I can do with it. I was working around 165, but am closer to 155 at the moment. I’ll have to dig deep for this one, but at least I had a promising session today that I can build from. 128kg 5x5 felt ok. I’d be happy with 2.5kg monthly increases.

OHP has dropped by about 4kg, but my shoulders have grown from accessory lifts and my arms are near full strength. Struggling to push back over 90kg.

On the plus side I’m more shredded than I was and I feel energetic again. I’ve also turned down a promotion and extra hours in work to focus on myself - mainly training.
 
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Nice work! I’m going to be taking a fair bit longer to get back to lifting anything close to my old PB’s, let alone acceptable numbers…one day.

Mission 1 for the year is fat loss and improving overall mobility, focusing on problem areas one at a time.
 
I'm struggling with the gym at the moment as it's pretty cold, which is ironic as I take a daily cold bath/shower (15C or less)...

I've pretty much given up on shakes and supplements now, bar vit d and omega 3s - but that's mainly because I'm not training at the same intensity as I used to.

Struggling with a bit of SI joint stiffness at the moment, but it hasn't prevented me from training, just lowered the intensity a little, I'm not "pushing" myself as much and I think that's probably because I don't have a training partner, as much as I love my home gym I do miss training with friends and following a plan with them.

I also need some dumbbells , but they're quite expensive and I need to sort my gym out a little bit to make it more functional (floor matting etc...).

However I'm still lifting at maybe 75% the lifts I used to do, but I'm keeping it regular and doing some cardio (swimming / walks) so from that perspective I'm healthy.

I get regular blood tests done, hormones and everything are ok - they nose dived during lockdown as I basically did nothing, but back to "normal" for a person of my age, triglycerides and general lipid profile is on point especially for my age - so from that perspective I know my health is good!#

Just need more motivation to push myself, but then, I'm not doing strongman, not doing powerlifting competitions so is there really much of a point other than pushing myself to get better - but I haven't shifted my goals as I've aged, so my aspirations/targets need to be re-aligned which I haven't done yet.
 
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