Poll: ***The all new gymrats thread***

[Ranger]

Just completed my first week of weight's (used the plan in GordyR's sticky), as I am doing it at home, when doing the barbell squats without a rack, I feel a little unsafe bringing the bar back over my head once I have completed a set. Are dumbbell squats just as effective?

 

[Mansize_tissue]

Just completed my first week of weight's (used the plan in GordyR's sticky), as I am doing it at home, when doing the barbell squats without a rack, I feel a little unsafe bringing the bar back over my head once I have completed a set. Are dumbbell squats just as effective?

I have a similar problem at the moment. What sort of weight are you using out of interest for the barbell squats? I only feel safe lifting 50kg over my head so I've had to limit myself to that for now. I also try to incorporate either pistol squats (single leg bodyweight squats, but you can add weight if you want my holding dumbbells I guess), split squats or dumbbell lunges with each leg workout, trying to vary it a bit and all that!

 

[Morba]

hey Morba - I've seen one of these for £41, is that a decent price from your memory?

Also, would it work on a doorway with this type of door frame? (closed the door cos of light levels in picture):


Lastly, exactly how does it 'mount'? The descriptions I've read were very non-specific.

Thanks in advance.

Evening fella, yeah £41 is a good price :]
It would be perfect for a door like that.

Essentially, the fitting is 2 screw in holders inside the door frane which the bar sits in, but this isnt the only weight holding section. (one is a touch bigger than the other as you will see if you buy them, remember this when you screw them in.... dont just screw a random one into the frame without thinking... like i did!)

Holds more than 20 stone as well, so for you lightweights you can add some weight, or for the bat fasterds like me, it holds without worrying about ripping the wall down

 

[Ranger]

I started with 16kg and doing the actual squats felt ok, just unsafe bringing the bar back over my head. Don't want to injure myself. I am very much a beginner with weights, so taking it steady to start with.

Thanks

 

[Makunouchi]

Cheers for the reply, I think I will go ahead and get it then.

The decision to get a chin bar came after I filmed myself doing pull-ups earlier today, I could see that because I do them on the overhang of a stairwell, I couldn't actually move my arms the correct way (I was basically too squashed up), also it's not like gripping a bar either so I was finding my forearms and grip going before my back/shoulders.

Hopefully this will help with that.

 

[Morba]

well, you can do close grip chins or pullups and get your hands out to the top corners and do wide grip chins

 

[Dj_Jestar]

Managed a triple personal best this week. Bench PB on monday, DL PB on Weds and just got back from a Squat PB today.

DL was 130kg for 8, but I'm going to try 140kg as I reckon I've got it in my for at least 5.

Squat did 130kg for 8, and again I reckon I've got much more in me but I'm going to stick to 130kg whilst my back/shoulders toughens up. It hurts a lot having the bar resting on my traps so just going to keep it at this level until it gets easier. Also set PB on the leg press (151kg, 2 rungs from full stack) and monstered it on the calve raises (full stack on same leg press machine)

 

[Morba]

good work fella, might be worth hitting the 140x5 then taking a week off.
:]

 

[PAz]

Here's a discussion for you.....and I'll probably get flamed as it was mentioned in this thread previously or another thread

But we were talking in the office today after someone saw me drinking a protein shake while they were previously talking about the Jacko death/heart attack, is bodybuilding/weightlifting bad for your heart?

I mean if you're 100% natural that is

I don't see why it should be, you're effectively doing physical exercise and keeping fit, but on the flip side, lifting those big weights and going for those PB's, it must put a hell of a strain on the old ticker. I know sometimes I leave the gym and my heart feels like it's going to burst out of my chest it's beating so hard

Doing this week in week out, it surely must take it's toll? Or is it actually doing it some good?

Discuss, because I just got rolled on today by people convinced it could be nothing but bad for you.

Don't think so unless you are REALLY going to extremes (juicing / maxing lifts every week) and you have a good diet, do some kind of CV etc.

Ask them how much **** they eat and alcohol they drink...thats worse then busting your balls in the gym 3/4 times a week

 

[Pigeon_Killer]

Another good session for me tonight this time on legs.

Squats
90 x 5
100 x 5
110 x 5
120 x 5
130 x 5
140 x 5

Bench Press
80 x 8
80 x 8
80 x 8

Leg Press
130 x 8
150 x 8
170 x 8

Leg Curls
50 x 8
55 x 8
60 x 7

Calf Raises
130 x 12
150 x 12

Static Hold
50s x 1m 5s

 

[THE DOC]

i did a chest session on tuesday ie
25x75kgs
22x75kgs
19x75kgs
15x75kgs
11x75kgs

incline
10x70kgs
10x70kgs
8x70kgs

decline
12x85 kgs
10x90 kgs
8 x 87.5 kgs



just fininshed the chest/back session tonight with the hst thing
found the chins really tough

 

[Morba]

why would you do that many reps in a set?

 

[blairw]

Surely if you can do 25x a weight its time to up the weight a bit?

 

[THE DOC]

I do the bigger amount of reps every so often kinda to shock the muscles
possibly for more of a burn/cardio
I know i can up the weights [and i do] its just a personal thing,and i find it suits me ,i dont think it can do any harm .

 

[moogie]

yesterdays chest sess

DB inc bench 10*10 32k
BW dips 18 16 14
standing cable crossovers 4*10 40k
DB pullovers 4*10 26k

4*10 BB curls

 

[toxic]

YAY....Squated yeterday for the first time in three-four months properly...Went 50kgx10, 70x10, 80x10, 90x10, 95x10, 100x8, drop 50x20, drop 50x15.....I now cant walk properly today Feels great!
Was maybe a silly idea doing in a same session with deads and back....but im well happy to have blasted the legs a bit again. Leg extensions and curls definitely dont do the same job as squats.

 

[Jonny L]

Edit:

I've just done a load more research on the HST forums, and now have a plan that looks more like this.

Todays workout would be 1 set of 15 for each exercise

Split Squats
Bench Press
Bent Over Row
Military Press
Shrugs
Dumbbell Curls
Skull Crushers
Calf Raises

This will be alternated with

Deadlifts
Dips
Pull ups
Arnold Press
Shrugs
Hammer Curls
Tricep Extensions
Calf Raises

Do you guys think this would cover all of the bases? I can't help feeling that my shoulders will be left a bit lacking in certain areas?

Thanks guys

 

[moogie]

looks good to me

your shoulders get hit to some extent in a lot of the upper body exercises you have there such as dips/pull ups so i wouldnt worry


mixing up my routine for the next 6 weeks
today (ex warm up sets)

30secs rest betwen each set

military press 50k 8 8 6
CG chins bw 8 7 6
dips +12k 11 11 9
deads 140k 10 8 6
inc bench 90k 12 10 8

 

[Jonny L]

Kl thanks moogie, well I just did that workout and I have never sweated so much in my life. It's pooring off me, almost like its raining.

Feels good though, I got a really good feel from all of my exercises too, I felt I could have pushed more weight in certain exercises so I will up that for the next session but overall it was good. I did all my compounds first and put my isolations last as is to be expected. Some of the iso's did suffer a bit, like I did my calf raises last and I could barely balance I was that fatigued.

Got the whole workout done in just under an hour.

Looked like this (excluding warm up):

Split Squats 15 x 30 kg
Bench Press 15 x 40 kg
Bent Over Row 15 x 40 kg
Military Press 15 x 30 kg

Feeling Knackered from this point on...

Shrugs 15 x 40 kg
Dumbbell Curls 15 x 14 kg
Skull Crushers 15 x 25 kg
Calf Raises 15 x 30 kg

All in all it I'm really pleased with that. Didn't think I'd get it all done in an hour but I just about managed it .

 

[Archaeopteryx]

I occasionally find when doing squats my left knee clicks, is there a way to stop this? I had a similar issue with my shoulder but after some reading I found it was probably a rotator cuff issue. After some focused shoulder exercise it went away, so are there any specific knee exercises I can do to the same effect?

Thanks.