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

[BennyC]

My leg day yesterday was the first in a long time thats brought me near to being sick/falling over from dizzyness. Think the combination of badly timed breathing and that I was drinking lucosade as I forgot my water bottle might have had something to do with it. Lucosade gives me that cotton mouth feeling after playing a game of footy!

Considering I walked into some people sat down in the SU when I was off my trolly, which gave my knee a pritty big knock, clipped my ankle with a 30KG dumbbell 2 days before, and also managed to bruise the top of the same knee with the same dumbbell, I didn't have any knee issues.(Not that I normally do)

Squatting- normally use sets of 20 on a 45KG barbell for 3 sets back and 1 set front. Decided to also do sets of 20 on 60KG and 80KG, gave me a killer pump in my quads, so much so that my quads were trembling/shaking whilst I was deadlifting!

Quick question, whenever I seem to be squatting freeweight or smith machine(bear in mind it has to be on a smith machine due to lack of a squat rack, and the rails angle slightly back) I find I use my hip flexors significantly on the positive. By this I mean I can really feel myself using them. Is this normal? Normally going just below parralell each rep.

 

[Freefaller]

How wide is your stance?

 

[BennyC]

How wide is your stance?

Feet shoulder width apart, and pointing slightly out. Sometimes a little wider or sometimes narrower with feet facing fowards.

 

[dun]

Can't quite grasp how you would be using your hip flexors which bring the knees up during a regular squat. I have heard plenty of people complaining of tightness in them though which you may make you feel like you are using them a lot?

http://www.easyvigour.net.nz/fitness/h_hip_flexorstretch.htm Perhaps give that a try see if you notice any improvement

 

[Freefaller]

It sounds like a flexibility problem, I used to get them too. But I have a rather well developed posterior chain which recruited a lot of pressure from the HF muscle group. Do your heels come off the ground? If so you've got to drop the weight and concentrate on pushing through with your heels.

Try going ATG with some light weights for high reps, this should stretch and loosen up the HF muscle group.

 

[dun]

Going real deep will help too, but I'd be very careful that you don't let your back round when you get towards the bottom if you have some flexible issues. V.light weight to get the feel for it mate.

 

[Freefaller]

Form is paramount... but that goes without saying IMO.

 

[BennyC]

Thanks for the advice.

I think 'Tightness' would be the correct term. I'll focus on driving through with my heels

I'll give those stretches a try too.

How does lunge walking affect this group? I think I can feel it hitting it, but perhaps this is just that tightness again?...

I'd like to get some oats into my diet. My very short lived WPC efforts (due to the norovirus and now some psychological link with WPC & being sick) used to have blended oats in. But these almost triggered a gag reflex.

Can anybody suggest some ideas of getting oats into my diet? Ways that aren't horrible or disgusting! Saying that would mixing them into scrambled eggs be an idea? I don't actually know if I even like them, but won't know till I find out!

Which have the best nutritional value: Standard porridge oats? or something like Oats-so-simple?

For breakfast I normally tend to have 2/3 eggs scrambled on two slices of wholemeal followed by a bowl of cereal shreddies/cornflakes with sugar. Considering having porridge/oats every other day instead of the cereal. Thoughts?

 

[Freefaller]

Nairns Oatcakes! I eat a dozen or so a day - yum yum yum!

But porridge is the best bet tbh... or you can grind them and use them in yoghurt, or other things... be creative! put them to make a sauce, or in with some cereal etc... be inventive!

 

[nero120]

Nairns Oatcakes! I eat a dozen or so a day - yum yum yum!

Me too! Though I don't eat quite so many as you! Great with PB.

 

[BennyC]

Nairns Oatcakes! I eat a dozen or so a day - yum yum yum!

But porridge is the best bet tbh... or you can grind them and use them in yoghurt, or other things... be creative! put them to make a sauce, or in with some cereal etc... be inventive!

I'll try my best! I suppose some oats are better then no oats!

Just come accross a seed/grain called 'Quinoa' (keen-wah). Supposed to be an alternative to rice. Quite high in protein apparently? around £7 for 3KG. Anybody heard of this before? or have any light to shed? Do you have any knowledge of this FF?

http://www.dietobio.com/dossiers/en/cereals/quinoa.html

Breakdown. Not quite sure how reliable.

 

[Freefaller]

I have heard of it and have had it but I don't really know much about it. I rather like wild/long grain rice and couscous and wholemeal pasta so I just stick to those.

 

[BennyC]

I have heard of it and have had it but I don't really know much about it. I rather like wild/long grain rice and couscous and wholemeal pasta so I just stick to those.

Wholemeal pasta is something I need to switch to!

Shoulder session in an hour. Recently swapped dumbbell raises for cable raises. Looking foward to doing them again. Much much harder than I expected. Gotta love the cables!

 

[Freefaller]

I think it tastes a lot nicer for a start.

 

[triggerthat]

Just thought I'd update you guys.

Haven't been doing the gym hardcore in the past few months but I just started again, especially as I've now got a gym buddy. I am not 13% body fat - was 20% a few months ago.

That's with just a little cardio and lots of weights.

 

[Steedie]

Just looking at getting some hand grips to train my forearms a bit over the weekends and stuff

Just found these on a popular high street store for 8 quid, but thought I'd ask you guys if they'd be any decent before buying them. I'm not saying I'm super strong, but don't want to buy them if I'm going to be getting no benefit from them

They are these: Everlast Extra Strength Hand Grips

Obviously I won't link as ***** is a competitor, but if you could have a look that would be great

 

[roid]

You might as well link now you've said the name

 

[Steedie]

Oh lol I went through all that effort trying to remember not to mention the name and I still did. Don't want to post it though as I'm sure it's against the rules

 

[pieplough]

Thats me finished 7 weeks of 5x5 set/reps. Feeling a lot stronger now so im going to lower my weights and do some high volume lifts for some mass training.

Anyone recomend a good set/rep scale? Occured to me the other day that ive never really used anything higher than 8 reps for a period of time so will be good to change things up.

 

[BennyC]

Popped down to fit-space in the hope of picking up a lifting belt earlier, sold the last one in my size as I arrive, typical! Have to wait till tuesday now.

I don't intend to use it for deadlifting but for keeping my lower back to the bench on shoulder days. (Will strap myself in/around the bench) I tend to find my lower back coming away as I begin to tire and the press turning from shoulder to very high incline if that makes sense?

It's a Neoprene 4" velcro belt. Obviously I'll buy the belt to fit as I will use it rarely for any seriously heavy deadlifting and as my mothers a seamstress have the velcro extended to allow it to fit around me and the bench. Anyone tried this before? I've tried pushing with my feet against a wall to try and solve this, but find I end up focusing on that and my form for the press goes to pot.