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

[toxic]

I think your form is pretty good actually. I found this video helpful when I thought I was doing the same....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yha2XAc2qu8

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

Even natural comps now don't bloat excessively - they do cut a lot though.

Assisted you've got an advantage anyway and cutting isn't hard to do with special juices.

Very true, as soon as you can forget about cortisol its a whole diffeent ballgame, when your test levels are permenantly sky high you can cut hard which is what im doing right now, calories can go stupidly low and you know its all coming from fat because the body cant stop you from being anabolic 24/7.

The fact is tho, when talking natural training, you're better off getting the muscle first as much of it as poss and as cleanly as poss then cutting down once your at a nice size. A lot of guys on here talk about cutting and in all fairness they have more fat than muscle (even the 'skinny' looking guys). This means cutting will be infinitley harder and you will likely give up or not get the results you want and start a bulk again. This yo-yoing of cut bulk is NOT cycling its massivley counter productive as the body never really gains any net muscle over the course, you add a little when you bulk and then lose a little on the cut and ultimately get neither cut nor big.

IMHO these are my tenets for any novice lifter or anyone not getting where they want --

1) bulk up until your at least doing bodyweight lifts and above in the main disciplines.
2) Get your insulin under control by limiting intake of simple carbs (by limiting i mean practically cutting out altogether)
3) Learn to use protein sources like meats and shakes to get your daily calories
4) Learn to time your calorie intakes so that they precede periods of effort, whether that is a training session, a long walk, a physical workload in your job etc try not to take in calories before stressful events, stress = cortisol and cortisol = fat retention and slower metabolism.
5) *controversial* Limit cardio to some low impact longer duration type preferably in the morning on an empty stomach.

These 5 points if followed will have you looking 10x better without any proper 'cutting'.

Getting insulin under control wil naturally recompose your body into a leaner shape, building muscle will raise test levels and calorie demand futher cutting away body fat.

Low intensity exercise will increase metabolic rate without increasing stress and cortisol levels too much, again leaning you out. Getting 3000 or so lean calories a day with emphasis on protein will keep you anabolic and build your muscle base.

 

[Kappa]

Hmm, another thing I've noticed watching the videos back... I'm bending my wrists a lot on the press, I'll make sure to correct that next time!

My wrists go back a bit too, on bench press also, not sure if its wrong or not? but I definitely feel I can power the weight up with the wrists like that

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

My wrists go back a bit too, on bench press also, not sure if its wrong or not? but I definitely feel I can power the weight up with the wrists like that

Its wrong im afraid, like with a punch you need to keep your wrsts aligned. It may seem trivial right now but as you push for heavier weights your grip will inevitably weaken until you get a face full of bar. You need to be focusing on the contraction of the chest and triceps to bench well and this just isnt possible with a grip like that as the grip itself requires mental attention limiting the focus on the other muscles, and if your only getting say 80% effort out of the chest/tricep/delt prime movers how can you expect to stimulate growth?

Drop the weight for a few weeks and concentrate on a firm straight grip through the wrists, once you get that nailed i garauntee you your bench will increase and you will actually FEEL the better connection to your bench muscles.

 

[Chong Warrior]

Can someone please take a look at my form for squats and overhead press? I'm lifting 92.5kg and 55kg here respectively, and if I recall correctly they were both set 4 of 5.

I'm concerned I'm leaning too far forward when squatting. Should I try to keep my back more upright?

My overhead press was a little shaky, I hadn't lifted that much weight before. In fact I failed on my last set and only managed 4 rep.

Squats - Decent depth but you need to learn to keep your chest out more, this will help to stop your form going towards the end as it starts to look a little more like a good morning type lift. More weight onto the heels, chest out and up and then drive upwards. Your form isn't bad though but when you start to go heavy any little flaws get more and more exaggerrated and it gets harder to correct.

Shoulder Press - At about 75% through the movement the triceps take all the stress from the shoulders and at lockout there's no stress. So that's a lot of the movement were the target muscle isn't getting hit. Try stopping before lockout and keeping constant tension in the delts.... makes a big difference.
Same again at the bottom of the movement. I never let the bar go lower than my chin as it gets too stressful and can lead to shoulder problems. Watch your lower back aswell as this exercise can be hard on it, try doing them with one foot in front of the other instead of side by side, can help you with stability when it gets heavy.

Another note, keep your back straight when picking the bar up.

 

[Kappa]

Its wrong im afraid, like with a punch you need to keep your wrsts aligned. It may seem trivial right now but as you push for heavier weights your grip will inevitably weaken until you get a face full of bar. You need to be focusing on the contraction of the chest and triceps to bench well and this just isnt possible with a grip like that as the grip itself requires mental attention limiting the focus on the other muscles, and if your only getting say 80% effort out of the chest/tricep/delt prime movers how can you expect to stimulate growth?

Drop the weight for a few weeks and concentrate on a firm straight grip through the wrists, once you get that nailed i garauntee you your bench will increase and you will actually FEEL the better connection to your bench muscles.

Cheers Sire!

I always thought it felt better on lower weights with the arm following straight through to the hand, but when on heavier weights I just found it easier with wrists bent back like I was pushing something away like a pressup.

I'll concentrate more on grip from now on definitely.

 

[Kappa]

Quick question chaps, I'm getting better and better at chin ups, with me facing the bar as I go past it, whats with the maneovre where the bar goes behind your head? Some random PT came up to me and said it was really bad for you, (Saying that he thought I would be better off with leg press rather than squats when I was roaring with 100kg on my back a few months ago). Any enlightenment for me? Different muscle groups? It's definitely a LOT harder for me!

 

[dun]

Just like to say there's some great info in this thread. Glad to see some informative posters seem to be making a come back.
As for the behind the head then like any exercise they can be dangerous if done incorrectly, but I haven't seen any actual evidence to say they are bad when using correct form. I enjoy doing them aswell as behind the head shoulder press which is another one people are iffy about.

 

[Kappa]

I enjoy doing them aswell as behind the head shoulder press which is another one people are iffy about.

I'll carry on doing them then

Behind the head shoulder press i like, really attacks the back of my neck and shoulders!

 

[Ultra_Extreme]

Quick question chaps, I'm getting better and better at chin ups, with me facing the bar as I go past it, whats with the maneovre where the bar goes behind your head? Some random PT came up to me and said it was really bad for you, (Saying that he thought I would be better off with leg press rather than squats when I was roaring with 100kg on my back a few months ago). Any enlightenment for me? Different muscle groups? It's definitely a LOT harder for me!

Chinning or ,more accurately, pull ups behind the neck place a lot of strain on the shoulders and rotator cuff assembly. They are in some ways a good exercise as they help focus the strain toward the anterior latissimus region which some people would say will give you a better taper. But realisticaly unless you are very confident in your shoulder flexibility you will likely do more harm than good attempting this manouver. Ive never done any behind the neck pulls and i shy away from behind the neck presses too. The injury risk is simply not worth the slight benefits unless you are really into flexibility training and highly functional strength.

Your shoulder is important in about 90% of exercises and to risk immobilizing it is crazy, its like doing a one legged squat, the cake isnt worth the candle

 

[Mansize_tissue]

I think your form is pretty good actually. I found this video helpful when I thought I was doing the same....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yha2XAc2qu8

I actually watched that video the other day. I think I may have taken the advice a little... too much. I seem to be driving my hips up too much, so much so that my shoulders can keep up and, as mentioned below, it looks like I'm doing good mornings.

Squats - Decent depth but you need to learn to keep your chest out more, this will help to stop your form going towards the end as it starts to look a little more like a good morning type lift. More weight onto the heels, chest out and up and then drive upwards. Your form isn't bad though but when you start to go heavy any little flaws get more and more exaggerrated and it gets harder to correct.

Shoulder Press - At about 75% through the movement the triceps take all the stress from the shoulders and at lockout there's no stress. So that's a lot of the movement were the target muscle isn't getting hit. Try stopping before lockout and keeping constant tension in the delts.... makes a big difference.
Same again at the bottom of the movement. I never let the bar go lower than my chin as it gets too stressful and can lead to shoulder problems. Watch your lower back aswell as this exercise can be hard on it, try doing them with one foot in front of the other instead of side by side, can help you with stability when it gets heavy.

Another note, keep your back straight when picking the bar up.

Thank you very much for the advice, very helpful. I'll focus more on my form next workout. I think I'm definitely going to change my stance a little like you said with the overhead press, too many times have I found myself balancing on my heels almost toppling over backwards!

 

[richard104]

Hi Guys, I fancied giving the following routine ago as a bit of a change from a chest/tricep, back/bicep, legs, shoulder routine...

Day 1 – Legs and abs
Squats – 1x20
Squats – 2x8
Leg press – 3x10
SLDL/leg curls – 3x12
Calf raises – 3x20
Rope crunches – 3x12

Day 2 – Chest and arms
Incline bench press – 3x8
Flat dumbbell bench press – 3x10
Dips – 3x8
CGBP – 3x12
Dumbell bicep curls – 3x12

Day 3 – Back and traps
Chin-ups – 3x8
Single arm dumbbell rows – 3x10
Barbell rows – 3x8
Deadlifts – 3x8
Barbell/dumbbell shrugs – 3x10

Day 4 – Shoulders and abs
Seated dumbbell press – 3x8
Standing military press – 3x10
Lateral raises – 3x10
Rear delt raises – 3x10
Leg raises – 3x12

Taken from this site http://www.muscletalk.co.uk/article-methods-of-training.aspx

What do you guys think, i have 4 weeks of this routine before i head back to uni and join the gym again. I am a wee fellow at only 10st, 5ft 10.

Thanks, Rich

 

[Walkerie]

Hi all, just wondering what sites you all use apart from muscletalk any other good foruims?

 

[Participant]

Hi all, just wondering what sites you all use apart from muscletalk any other good foruims?

I look at Bodybuilding.com a fair bit. It's got some great before / after threads.

 

[dun]

Hi all, just wondering what sites you all use apart from muscletalk any other good foruims?

bodybuilding.coms ifbb section and uk muscle.

 

[titchard]

Have been going the gym for about a month now and say I really enjoy it! However I enjoy it more when I know I have nothing after it so I don't end up looking at the clock constantly and rushing, plus when I have more time I often have a nose round the gym and have a go on other machines that look beneficial and see if I could work them into my routine!

I have used these few weeks to find my "zone" with weights as quite frankly I am not a strong guy and didn't know where to begin and have found my place to start at and build up - some of the weights I see you guys lifting in here is mad - I started squat lifting 20KG (Recommended starting point for me buy the trainer guy) and you guys are doing 90-100KG - that's nearly 2 me's!

My pet hates about the gym so far are only two things really, one serious, one silly:

1)STOP USING THE EQUIPMENT AS SEATS! - if you want to stop and have a convo, do it else where, don't hog stuff that you sit on for 15 mins and don't end up using anyway. I am considerate enough that when I finish using a machine I wipe it down and go catch some breath somewhere else to let other people use it.

2)Why is it, that only the the wrinkly old blokes are the ones so fast and loose with the nakedness in the changing rooms? I thought surely the buff & toned guys would flaunt about but no, Old 65 year old professor wrinklecheeks is walking about like he's at home!

Rich

 

[Participant]

1)STOP USING THE EQUIPMENT AS SEATS! - if you want to stop and have a convo, do it else where, don't hog stuff that you sit on for 15 mins and don't end up using anyway. I am considerate enough that when I finish using a machine I wipe it down and go catch some breath somewhere else to let other people use it.

I sit on the bench for 90 seconds between sets - is this bad? If there's someone hanging around I ask them if they want to do a set while I'm resting.

2)Why is it, that only the the wrinkly old blokes are the ones so fast and loose with the nakedness in the changing rooms? I thought surely the buff & toned guys would flaunt about but no, Old 65 year old professor wrinklecheeks is walking about like he's at home!

Lol I try not to look but sometimes it's impossible when they're practically dangling it in your face!

 

[titchard]

I sit on the bench for 90 seconds between sets - is this bad? If there's someone hanging around I ask them if they want to do a set while I'm resting.

Nah, it's not that I am fussed about - it's people that clamber on equipment to use it as a sofa to chat to friends with no attempt to use it for fifteen / twenty minutes! I half no qualms about you catching your breath after you have used it, I mean you are actually using the equipment!

Rich

 

[Kappa]

Nah, it's not that I am fussed about - it's people that clamber on equipment to use it as a sofa to chat to friends with no attempt to use it for fifteen / twenty minutes!

Rich

Just go up and ask them mate, I see this all the time, and I can be guilty of it too if I have an extra long break between sets, but I find if I just have a polite word more often than not they let me on the weights/machine.

Pet peeve for me is people using the bench in the power racks or squat rack for dumbell work, thus, blocking the rack, but I just ask them if they're using it and they move

 

[Buffman]

Doing my chest later on today (damn having to be in for the builders ), hoping to dumbbell press 30kg for 6 reps probably going to end up more like 4-5 reps though.

To update this from another thread, I managed 7 reps of the 30kg dumbbells I should go for late sessions more often. Been hoping for 8 reps for a few sets before I go to uni / uni gym. Only bad point of this is the dumbbells in my gym dont go higher than 30kg .