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

[Participant]

Cutting for the beach this summer?

Anyone planning a cut for the summer soon, or are you all still in winter 'bulk mode'?

Just wondering how long to leave it before upping the cardio and tightening up the diet! Going on holiday end of July, currently 178lbs 5'11" with a slight beer gut and love handles; would be interested to hear how long you guys are leaving it beforestarting your cut, assuming you're even changing your routine at all? Of course it all depends on where you are and what your goals are, but humour me...

 

[georges]

Start now so you can sun's out-guns out as soon as it breaks through the clouds

 

[georges]

Sweet mother of god that looks awful! Is that an actual 'exercise'?! Why not just do some leg extensions?!

yeah I'm not gonna even go near that. **** doing them on a smith, let alone the people that do them with a barbell.. how the hell do you balance?


Not gonna lie, it looks a bit matrix though when you do it bodyweight..
http://www.exrx.net/AnimatedEx/Quadriceps/WtSissySquat.gif

 

[Volcs]

Just did the barbell complex from

http://www.tmuscle.com/free_online_...erformance/blood_on_the_barbell_waterbury&cr=

CHRIST I nearly died


So naturally I started with the bar + 2x5kg plates, so 30kg..

Anyway the thing was:


Had to do it in two parts because my shoulders were giving up Never in my life have I been so tired, sweaty, achy and out of breath from about 2mins of work

Gym was rammed full (thanks january!) so gave this a go earlier.

I can only echo what you said - I used 30kg too and it was a killer, only completed it on the first set I did, the other two require stops. It was my forearms that were caining just from gripping for so long!

 

[badcompany]

3rd week off since dec 20 the cold snap is making my garage where I work out unbearably cold to do any lifting can't wait until it warms up a bit

 

[Freefaller]

After my other ski holiday I'm hitting AGVT - hard. Get nice and fat before summer

 

[dun]

Anyone planning a cut for the summer soon, or are you all still in winter 'bulk mode'?

Just wondering how long to leave it before upping the cardio and tightening up the diet! Going on holiday end of July, currently 178lbs 5'11" with a slight beer gut and love handles; would be interested to hear how long you guys are leaving it beforestarting your cut, assuming you're even changing your routine at all? Of course it all depends on where you are and what your goals are, but humour me...

Not yet. This is prime bulk time, I wouldn't even be considering it.

 

[Buffman]

Anyone planning a cut for the summer soon, or are you all still in winter 'bulk mode'?

I think I'll try reduce my bodyfat (slowly/lean bulk type) currently as I was trying before Christmas but obviously christmas isn't a great time for such things . I'm not really reducing bf for summer though as I'm not going on holiday and in the uk I tend not to walk around without my shirt on .

 

[Smit]

Anyone planning a cut for the summer soon, or are you all still in winter 'bulk mode'?

I usually start mine around Mid-March time which gives me a good 16 weeks or so worth of extra cardio and slightly changed diet.

This year I don't think I will bother since I'm not going anywhere this year apart from maybe home but Aberdeen is never exactly hot and sunny

 

[Freefaller]

I was "cutting" not that I believe in such methodology, before Christmas hols, i.e. increasing intensity, doing more cardio/HIIT but still hitting heavy weights. Lost an inch around my waist, and not lost anything around my legs or arms or chest so it's all good.

Put on a couple of pounds after my Skiing holiday (mainly owing to eating my own bodyweight every day! ).

But I'm back in it. Can't wait for the start of March Mass monster I reckon - I'm tempted to (although it's very contrary to my style of training) just go for it (i.e. uber bulk) it'll help me reach my 600kg totals... but not sure if I can be bothered with it. I quite like being sub 18% BF and strong as I am.

 

[blairw]

Going to start the StongLifts 5x5 today which I'm quite looking forward to, first session back in the gym since before Christmas so this should be entertaining.

Also started stronglifts this morning Have done it for 3 weeks before and could already see the benefits so my aim is to go at it for 12 weeks then re assess.

 

[shifty_uk]

Here it comes, the dreaded question:

How do you chaps incorporate ab work into your routine?

I've always neglected abs in the gym, mainly because I don't want to be seen doing it but also because my core is fairly strong with everything else I do.

I just leave it to the skinny guys that neglect back and legs.

Recently I've started hitting some cable crunches before any lifting, just to get some form of ab work in there but it's probably a better idea to get more variety in there?

 

[semi-pro waster]

Also started stronglifts this morning Have done it for 3 weeks before and could already see the benefits so my aim is to go at it for 12 weeks then re assess.

I probably should have started off easy after a couple of weeks off but after my first warm up on squats with just the bar I went straight into working sets so my legs are feeling it a bit today, the rest of me is pretty much fine though. Looking forward to tomorrow and deadlifts. Good to hear you've had some success with it.

Recently I've started hitting some cable crunches before any lifting, just to get some form of ab work in there but it's probably a better idea to get more variety in there?

It depends what you've got available in terms of equipment but hanging leg raises, reverse crunches, planks? If you're feeling particularly vindictive towards yourself then start practicing dragon flags.

 

[Participant]

Here it comes, the dreaded question:

How do you chaps incorporate ab work into your routine?

I've always neglected abs in the gym, mainly because I don't want to be seen doing it but also because my core is fairly strong with everything else I do.

Personally I do hanging leg and knee raises at home on non-gym days (every other day). That way I can dedicate an entire mini workout to my core strength.

 

[BennyC]

For Ab work I usually do it on Leg days as the core gets a smashing anyhow. I'll usually do it at the end of a session, even if I do it when I'm doing some upperbody work. You don't want your core failing on an overhead press and a nasty accident happening.

Cable crunches are good. Don't neglect the negatives, by this say for lying crunches, you contract and then just fall back down to the floor keep some constant tension.

I've recently started doing planks and side planks and find them really good. I find they hit my shoulders a bit too but I might not be doing them quite right.

Leg raises/knee raises are good if you do them nice and slow with no swinging/momentum (cheating). Side bends but not sure how these affect the thoracic/lumbar vertebrae. Pulling with the right muscles you can really feel it.

Ab rollers are a no-no as they completely cut out the sternocleidomastoid and weaken it plus you look like a right ponse. Man up and do them properly.

You can increase the lever on certain exercises by having your hands out further and further behind your head and then pop a weight onto your chest for example.


I like to train Abs heavy and hard. You wouldn't do a set of 30 on bench so why abs? The Rectus abdominus is one muscle and like any other should respond to the same type of training.

The transverse abdominals I find I can feel them working more by sucking my stomach in for cable crunches.

With Cable crunches I either pivot from the hip whilst on my knees (thighs perpendicular to the floor). But I prefer to kneel (more or less upright) and crunch. It's a small ROM but harder.

OT:

Legs today and I've been progressing using a 5x5. 1 Minutes rest between sets and about 2 minutes rest between each exercise. ****ing with sweat!

Back Squats Smith:
WU:
0KG x 5
60KG x 5
80KG x 5
100KG x 2

Working
122.5KG x 5
122.5KG x 5
122.5KG x 5
122.5KG x 5
122.5KG x 4 (Failed - didn't have time to remove the plates and re-rack as they were closing early!)

SLDL:
WU:
60KG x 5
80KG x 5

Working:
100KG x 5
100KG x 5
100KG x 5
100KG x 5
100KG x 5

Leg Extensions:
WU:
50KG x 5
75KG x 5

Working:
100KG x 5
100KG x 5
100KG x 5
100KG x 5
100KG x 5

Standing Calf Raise:
25KG Dumbell alternating legs for 5x5

1 x side plank 20 secs rest
1x side plank 20 secs rest
1x front plank.

Seated Ab Crunch:

50KG x 10 x 5 nice slow negs.

Question:

When working at a 5x5 and you fail a set like above do you rest/recover and then get the last rep or 2 out?(always geting 25 reps per exercise) or do you wait until the next week? in other words fail = fail for that set?

 

[Freefaller]

Just fail for that set. It's a good indication of your progress. If you don't fail next week, you've improved. If you still fail, it might be too heavy, or you're still developing.

With AGVT for example I often managed 8 sets of 5 and the last 2 would be 3 or 4. Then as the weights got harder I might only succeed on 6 sets. However as strength increases over the weeks, by the 3rd week on the same weight (owing to how the program works), where I would have been at 6 FULL sets, I'm now able to do 8 FULL sets, with the other 2 being failed sets. It's a very good for hypotrophy and strength improvement.


As for abs, I do lots of big exercises which hit the core - but I do hanging leg raises, DB pull ins, to name but a couple.

 

[BennyC]

Thanks for the quick reply FF.

Same weight again until I can crank all 5 reps out on the last set

I think I'll try AVGT over GVT. Now I've done the basic I've earnt the advanced I'll let you know which is tougher!

DB pull ins are good. bit of a pain to keep the weight between your feet though!

 

[semi-pro waster]

DB pull ins are good. bit of a pain to keep the weight between your feet though!

Are you thinking of a different exercise perhaps? The dumbbell pull-in that Will is talking about is the one in the video on page 3, no weight between the legs but you're using the dumbbells almost like press-up stands and pulling them towards you one after the other although he tends to do them with a press-up between each rep.

 

[BennyC]

Thanks for that SPW.

Will that not work the back/lats as it is a rowing motion? Or is it a heavy enough weight to stress the abs but not work the back sufficiently?

My misunderstanding/what I sometimes do is sit on the end of a bench with a dumbell on the floor infront of you. Grip it with your feet, lean back (hold the bench behind you (similar to a bench dip but on either side as opposed to the edge). Then raise your legs up so they are parralell to the floor. Bring your knees up towards you and then extend them out again repeat.

It's probaly a bit too much focus on keeping the dumbell between your legs. If you can tie a cable round your feet it'd probaly be better.

 

[semi-pro waster]

I've got to be honest and say I'm not entirely sure exactly what will be targetted and in what proportion, I'm pretty sure it is good for your core and I know absolutely that it's very difficult to perform with good form because you naturally want to rotate to counter-balance.