I think I need to do something about how jacked up my lower back is all the time now. I'll take basically any excuse not to bend over at this point. I'm essentially the opposite of your mum.
Are you already stretching before/after like an reasonable adult old fart?
I stretch my hips a lot, but not really my lower back. It seems to be mainly squats that cause issues, but walking through the snow is aggravating it a lot too.
Tube this is probably a silly question but have you tried shifting bar placement/foot placement to change the mechanics of the lift and take stress off of your back?
@TheCanMan hey it's been like a month, have your squats improved?
I've had some commitment issues. Having a real hard time getting into a consistent routine mostly because my 6yo started basketball and I take him to practice on one of my workout nights (can't change up my schedule), which means I'm not eating dinner until like 8:30pm and I just can't make myself start lifting that late and so soon after eating a full meal. Basketball is almost over, so hopefully I can get back to 3/wk like I should be.
But they do feel better even with that. I'm back up to the same weight I was at before the reset, and I'm not folding over anymore. I think my biggest problem was not keeping upright enough. I was leaning forward which moved the center of mass out in front of me and that was pulling me over. I've been staying more upright and it's let me drive alot harder with my legs.
And I've really liked including the Front Squats on my OHP/DL day. I don't have nearly enough weight to really push my DL anywhere near as high as I should be, so that day always felt like it wasn't enough effort. Adding the FSs has been fun.
Another change I've really like, even though I didn't think I would, has been to reduce my rest times. I was taking relatively long rests because all I was worried about was putting up the weight. But since our Caribbean cruise is fast approaching (beginning of May), I decided I needed to worry more about keeping my heartrate up (along with tracking my eating again) in an effort to shed ~15-20lbs of laziness. So I've cut my rest down to 60sec. It's meant I've missed more reps than I'm used to, but at the end of the workout it feels like I've put in more work. So it's been really satisfying.
Tube this is probably a silly question but have you tried shifting bar placement/foot placement to change the mechanics of the lift and take stress off of your back?
Mainly to try and take stress off my hips honestly, which are probably the problem. If I warm up with the bar, I get a shooting pain down my thigh in the bottom position. With weight it's fine, presumably because it pushes me past the point that's the problem? I actually can't stay in the bottom position without weight.
Yesterday I maxed my deadlift and hit 385@170lbs and it felt okay 7-8 RPE. Rested 10 minutes and tried 405 and could break the floor, but that was about it. I really felt it in the middle of my back like where your traps end.
I already do barbell and dumbbell rows, chin-ups, face-pulls and low bar squats.
Is it time to start doing rack pulls?
Rack pulls never hurt, but how often are you training that heavy?
You've got a new max at 385. Spend some time training with the new weights and see what happens. Sounds like you got a good amount of pulling accessories already.
I only max every 16 weeks.
My routine is peaking to a "meet" although I don't actually compete, yet. It starts off with lighter weights and high reps, and each week lowers the reps and increases the weight, etc.
So I treat the max day as a meet.
Higher reps as in what? 70-85% you can rock 5's, 85-95% 3's on the low end doubles on the top end, anything higher singles.
I don't like anything higher than 5's when pulling from the floor
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Yesterday I maxed my deadlift and hit 385@170lbs and it felt okay 7-8 RPE. Rested 10 minutes and tried 405 and could break the floor, but that was about it. I really felt it in the middle of my back like where your traps end.
I already do barbell and dumbbell rows, chin-ups, face-pulls and low bar squats.
Is it time to start doing rack pulls?
Rack pulls never hurt, but how often are you training that heavy?
You've got a new max at 385. Spend some time training with the new weights and see what happens. Sounds like you got a good amount of pulling accessories already.
I only max every 16 weeks.
My routine is peaking to a "meet" although I don't actually compete, yet. It starts off with lighter weights and high reps, and each week lowers the reps and increases the weight, etc.
So I treat the max day as a meet.
Higher reps as in what? 70-85% you can rock 5's, 85-95% 3's on the low end doubles on the top end, anything higher singles.
I don't like anything higher than 5's when pulling from the floor
First week at the start of the plan is a 3x8 @ 65%, next week is 3x6 @ 75%, everything after that is either 3x3 @ 85-90% or a 5x3 @ 75% until week 14 which is a 1x3 @ 90-95%.
Tube this is probably a silly question but have you tried shifting bar placement/foot placement to change the mechanics of the lift and take stress off of your back?
Mainly to try and take stress off my hips honestly, which are probably the problem. If I warm up with the bar, I get a shooting pain down my thigh in the bottom position. With weight it's fine, presumably because it pushes me past the point that's the problem? I actually can't stay in the bottom position without weight.
Yesterday I maxed my deadlift and hit 385@170lbs and it felt okay 7-8 RPE. Rested 10 minutes and tried 405 and could break the floor, but that was about it. I really felt it in the middle of my back like where your traps end.
I already do barbell and dumbbell rows, chin-ups, face-pulls and low bar squats.
Is it time to start doing rack pulls?
Rack pulls never hurt, but how often are you training that heavy?
You've got a new max at 385. Spend some time training with the new weights and see what happens. Sounds like you got a good amount of pulling accessories already.
I only max every 16 weeks.
My routine is peaking to a "meet" although I don't actually compete, yet. It starts off with lighter weights and high reps, and each week lowers the reps and increases the weight, etc.
So I treat the max day as a meet.
Higher reps as in what? 70-85% you can rock 5's, 85-95% 3's on the low end doubles on the top end, anything higher singles.
I don't like anything higher than 5's when pulling from the floor
I refer to this chart when figuring out my high intensity sets.
Weird. At a (uninformed, based on hearsay) guess, the back pain might be you shifting forward to relieve the shooting pain in your thigh?
Is the leg pain a longstanding thing?
Regardless, this seems like something a competent sports PT could set straight for you within a session or two.
Yesterday I maxed my deadlift and hit 385@170lbs and it felt okay 7-8 RPE. Rested 10 minutes and tried 405 and could break the floor, but that was about it. I really felt it in the middle of my back like where your traps end.
I already do barbell and dumbbell rows, chin-ups, face-pulls and low bar squats.
Is it time to start doing rack pulls?
Rack pulls never hurt, but how often are you training that heavy?
You've got a new max at 385. Spend some time training with the new weights and see what happens. Sounds like you got a good amount of pulling accessories already.
I only max every 16 weeks.
My routine is peaking to a "meet" although I don't actually compete, yet. It starts off with lighter weights and high reps, and each week lowers the reps and increases the weight, etc.
So I treat the max day as a meet.
Higher reps as in what? 70-85% you can rock 5's, 85-95% 3's on the low end doubles on the top end, anything higher singles.
I don't like anything higher than 5's when pulling from the floor
First week at the start of the plan is a 3x8 @ 65%, next week is 3x6 @ 75%, everything after that is either 3x3 @ 85-90% or a 5x3 @ 75% until week 14 which is a 1x3 @ 90-95%.
I only pull once a week.
Try pulling twice a week. That will make a difference.
@caligynefob Prilepin's is a good guideline to use.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Try pulling twice a week. That will make a difference.
@caligynefob Prilepin's is a good guideline to use.
Same weight and reps? Less weight?
Do one heavy day and one light day with corresponding reps
So if one day is 85% 3x5 for work sets, your light day would look like 65-75% 3x5 for work sets. Depending on how you feel and how you respond to pulling twice a week and what the weight is like. I usually only do 10-15% less on my light day compared to heavy. Similarly, if my heavy deadlift day is 90% 3x3, my light day might be 75-80% for 3x3 based on how I feel my back is going to feel afterwards.
So when I go in, Monday is my heavy squat day and medium pulls, which I compensate because I usually do my rack pulls on my heavy squat day to go easy on my back. Wednesday is my medium squat and light deadlifts, Friday is my light squat and heavy deadlifts.
I'm squatting and pulling three times a week and pressing two to three times a week.
How you fit it in your program is up to. I call it heavy and light, where other programs might call it max effort and dynamic effort days.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Try pulling twice a week. That will make a difference.
@caligynefob Prilepin's is a good guideline to use.
Same weight and reps? Less weight?
Do one heavy day and one light day with corresponding reps
So if one day is 85% 3x5 for work sets, your light day would look like 65-75% 3x5 for work sets. Depending on how you feel and how you respond to pulling twice a week and what the weight is like. I usually only do 10-15% less on my light day compared to heavy. Similarly, if my heavy deadlift day is 90% 3x3, my light day might be 75-80% for 3x3 based on how I feel my back is going to feel afterwards.
So when I go in, Monday is my heavy squat day and medium pulls, which I compensate because I usually do my rack pulls on my heavy squat day to go easy on my back. Wednesday is my medium squat and light deadlifts, Friday is my light squat and heavy deadlifts.
I'm squatting and pulling three times a week and pressing two to three times a week.
How you fit it in your program is up to. I call it heavy and light, where other programs might call it max effort and dynamic effort days.
If I were pulling from the floor 3x a week it would be arranged slightly differently, but yeah that's just kinda the rule of thumb I use for my training. I usually only account for 2-3 weeks at a time and program accordingly, but the skeleton stays the same.
If I were training for a meet or competition I would do the 12 or 16 week thing, but I'm not and this allows me to account for shit that crops up in life
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Have you guys seen the Bas-Rutten mass suit? I can't believe it's a real thing but it's totally a real thing and you owe it to yourself to read the user reviews.
Have you guys seen the Bas-Rutten mass suit? I can't believe it's a real thing but it's totally a real thing and you owe it to yourself to read the user reviews.
That looks like something out of Hellraiser.
PS4 - Mrfuzzyhat
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KakodaimonosCode fondlerHelping the 1% get richerRegistered Userregular
I'm sure someone will wear that along with one of those stupid hypoxia masks. And maybe a weight vest because why the hell not.
I finally will be able to get back to the weights next week once the grandmothers arrive and I'm needed a lot less for new baby duty. But I have managed to get my time on 100 kettlebell swings under 10 minutes on the 40 kilo bell. And I may go pick up an 80 kilo bell from someone this weekend if he hasn't been able to sell it.
I'm sure someone will wear that along with one of those stupid hypoxia masks. And maybe a weight vest because why the hell not.
I finally will be able to get back to the weights next week once the grandmothers arrive and I'm needed a lot less for new baby duty. But I have managed to get my time on 100 kettlebell swings under 10 minutes on the 40 kilo bell. And I may go pick up an 80 kilo bell from someone this weekend if he hasn't been able to sell it.
And here I thought I was doing well with the 24kg bell and that timing. You're not one-handing that thing, are you?
Have you guys seen the Bas-Rutten mass suit? I can't believe it's a real thing but it's totally a real thing and you owe it to yourself to read the user reviews.
Holy shit, these user reviews are incredible.
Edit: aww, super disappointed it was only the one awesome review. But it's a doozy.
TheCanMan on
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Donovan PuppyfuckerA dagger in the dark isworth a thousand swords in the morningRegistered Userregular
Fellas, I can't bench press much. I did the bar plus 20 and that was a struggle. Luckily I have found a gym buddy and it's nice to have someone to work out with.
Focus on form and just keep adding a little bit of weight every week, and before you know it you'll be benching your bodyweight for sets.
I need a lot of help. Been getting back into the gym for the last month or so after a hiatus of about 7 years (I've had failed relaunches since then, but that was the last time I was consistently training 4-5 times a week for more then a month or two).
Currently 251 lbs @ 6'1 (265 back in early January)
I have no idea how to actually program and I'm really afraid that I'm undereating most days.
Way back in high school I was taught to lift like this:
Squat, deadlift or bench:
Lighter weight x 10
Increase x 8
Increase x 6
Increase x 4
Max x 1
Supplemental exercises for that day:
3 sets x 10
And I basically know thats garbage.
I struggle with the very beginning portion (program wise) of starting strength since I don't think that is where I'm at lifting wise.
The other day on my second deadlift workout since starting back up I did the following:
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 5
Double overhand grip, although 245 was starting to challenge that a little.
My goals are to cut weight and increase my overall strength which I know can be at odds nutrition wise but I think I may be able to accomplish both because of my terrible, terrible BMI. But if I have to make a hard prioritization so be it. I also know I'm a long ways removed from my SE++ days, but I greatly appreciate any help ya'll can throw my way.
RedTide#1907 on Battle.net
Come Overwatch with meeeee
I need a lot of help. Been getting back into the gym for the last month or so after a hiatus of about 7 years (I've had failed relaunches since then, but that was the last time I was consistently training 4-5 times a week for more then a month or two).
Currently 251 lbs @ 6'1 (265 back in early January)
I have no idea how to actually program and I'm really afraid that I'm undereating most days.
Way back in high school I was taught to lift like this:
Squat, deadlift or bench:
Lighter weight x 10
Increase x 8
Increase x 6
Increase x 4
Max x 1
Supplemental exercises for that day:
3 sets x 10
And I basically know thats garbage.
I struggle with the very beginning portion (program wise) of starting strength since I don't think that is where I'm at lifting wise.
The other day on my second deadlift workout since starting back up I did the following:
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 5
Double overhand grip, although 245 was starting to challenge that a little.
My goals are to cut weight and increase my overall strength which I know can be at odds nutrition wise but I think I may be able to accomplish both because of my terrible, terrible BMI. But if I have to make a hard prioritization so be it. I also know I'm a long ways removed from my SE++ days, but I greatly appreciate any help ya'll can throw my way.
I know for myself (only been at this 2ish years) I HAD to track my food intake. LoseIt, My Fitness Pal, or just an actual journal, but something. You will not be able to out train your fork, as I'm guessing your aren't a teen anymore.
I did StrongLifts 5x5 then switched to Ice Cream Fitness Novice 5x5 since it has more accessory work, then eventually transitioned into a more intermediate program.
But the thing I noticed the most with losing the weight was diet, diet, diet. Which isn't to say you have to be a gym-bro and eat nothing but chicken breast, eggs, broccoli and brown rice. I shoot for 80-90% of my calories per day coming from clean (whole) foods. I allow myself 1 "cheat" item per day (usually a CliffBar Builder Bar or Skinny Cow Ice cream sandwich.)
If you're fearing that you're under-eating I'd say that tracking is equally as important.
You can also try different diet styles. Intermittent fasting, low-carb, Paleo, etc. I've done them all. I personally have no hunger issues and 0 diet adherence problems on high fat/protein low-carb diets. On high carb/low fat I'm hungry all day, ery day. I'll wake up at 2am and am starving, go to work hungry, workout hungry, etc. Nothing sates it.
I'd say pick a beginner's program you like, experiment with your diet some what, but make sure you're tracking daily, meal to meal to figure out what is working for you and what isn't, and stick to maintenance calories for a couple months.
Also, meal planning/prep goes a long way. If I don't have food waiting for me when I get home from the gym and food to take with me to work made up when I leave in the morning, I will eat junk all day, no exceptions. I make a weeks worth of chicken breast on Sunday, buy frozen vegetables from Costco in bulk, and make 5 days of omelettes and freeze 3. That way I know what I'm eating every meal, know it's calorie and nutritional content and don't have to worry about it later.
Though there's no shame in using something like a shake or whatever to replace a crappy snack. But the best thing I ever did for myself in the last while is "go buy some damn frozen veggies/chicken breast, and figure out a way to stick it in the oven and make it food". Cheap, tasty, and healthy. Definite impact on how much extra around the middle I've got, and I'm at an age where that damn near takes dynamite.
Breakfast is a shake (shooting for 400ish calories) or 4 scrambled eggs.
Lunch is a shake (If I didn't have one for breakfast), can of tuna, meal replacement bar (20-25g protein, 300-400 cal again).
Throw in a banana or apple or both for snacks.
Dinner has been a big lifestyle change as me and the wife were eating out 4-5 times a week. Mostly cook something that consists of protein + vegetable. Only starches have been brown rice or quinoa, think I've had pasta maybe twice since New Years. No potatoes really either.
My two days are work are slightly to radically different since its a communal thing and I'm more likely to have something fried (or a potatoe or whatever) but that part of my life has been improving as well since I've been bringing my own breakfast and lunch much more often.
On days when I'm at home I don't think I'm cracking 2000 calories a day all that often. I'm going to start tracking in March (probably via my fitness pal since my wife has been using that all along), but I'm trying to figure out where to start as a daily intake.
RedTide#1907 on Battle.net
Come Overwatch with meeeee
Breakfast is a shake (shooting for 400ish calories) or 4 scrambled eggs.
Lunch is a shake (If I didn't have one for breakfast), can of tuna, meal replacement bar (20-25g protein, 300-400 cal again).
Throw in a banana or apple or both for snacks.
Dinner has been a big lifestyle change as me and the wife were eating out 4-5 times a week. Mostly cook something that consists of protein + vegetable. Only starches have been brown rice or quinoa, think I've had pasta maybe twice since New Years. No potatoes really either.
My two days are work are slightly to radically different since its a communal thing and I'm more likely to have something fried (or a potatoe or whatever) but that part of my life has been improving as well since I've been bringing my own breakfast and lunch much more often.
On days when I'm at home I don't think I'm cracking 2000 calories a day all that often. I'm going to start tracking in March (probably via my fitness pal since my wife has been using that all along), but I'm trying to figure out where to start as a daily intake.
IMO, nothing wrong with potatoes, but sweet potatoes are amazing with a little butter and some cinnamon. Brown rice and quinoa are great, Costco may have then both in a pre-packaged mix that you can microwave in 90 seconds and is so good. I love that stuff.
You can also crock pot/slow cook stuff. Tough cuts of beef or even various chicken parts some veggies, seasoning and some water or broth of some kind go in the pot, put the lid on, turn it on low, leave for work, come back to deliciousness.
2000 calories might be too low, but once you start tracking you'll know.
Another couple bits of advice: 1.) be honest with your self, (if you ate 3 cookies at work, log 3 cookies, it's not the end of the world,) 2.) measure everything, 3.) if you fall off the wagon (OMG CAKE AT WORK!,) get right back on; don't wait for next Monday or even tomorrow, get back on TODAY, 4.) make small lifestyle changes you can stick with forever. Fad diets are usually crap and you'll never stick with them and/or the changes they do get you.
You sound like you're already off to a good start and are doing smart things already; you should be doing great with a little time.
edit: 5.) if you know you have a special event (date night with the missus, party, etc.) you can under eat a bit each day of the week leading up to it to give yourself a nice cheat cushion so you wont feel guilty. I did this for the Superbowl and had about 2000 extra calories banked come Sunday and didn't worry all that much about what I ate.
Also, dammit, sometimes you need cookies. In the long run, it all evens out, just don't always eat the things. Eat decent, work out, don't overdo it, and eventually things will happen.
(I admit I have trouble remembering this myself.)
Edit: Oh, and yeah, I lost a decent amount of weight pre-weights by just eating better/less, around 1800 calories/day, but about died the second I tried to work out at that level. MFP says I should be around 2600 for "maintenance" at "moderately active" (I'm tall), for instance, and I bounce around there in a bracket, depending on day/etc. You will probably need to go above 2000/day, god knows I did.
And GET SLEEP. Holy shit, get sleep. Sleep is the best.
RedTide if you're barely cracking 2000 calories then you probably are undereating some, but that depends on whether you want to prioritize the fat loss. If I'm understanding right you think Starting Strength is too basic? If you're just getting back into lifting then a straight linear progression could be useful and SS does have a nice simple structure; if you want something with a different progression scheme then 531 is great and good for everyone and MadCow 5x5 is a personal favorite of mine.
Fat loss isn't necessarily at odds with strength gains, at least when you're first getting back into lifting. A lot of your initial gains are a result of neural adaptation and at 250 lbs you've got enough mass to work with that you can probably ramp your strength up pretty well before you need to worry about a lot of hypertrophy, but again that will depend on what your long term goals are. Do you want to be super ripped? Super huge?
RedTide if you're barely cracking 2000 calories then you probably are undereating some, but that depends on whether you want to prioritize the fat loss. If I'm understanding right you think Starting Strength is too basic? If you're just getting back into lifting then a straight linear progression could be useful and SS does have a nice simple structure; if you want something with a different progression scheme then 531 is great and good for everyone and MadCow 5x5 is a personal favorite of mine.
Fat loss isn't necessarily at odds with strength gains, at least when you're first getting back into lifting. A lot of your initial gains are a result of neural adaptation and at 250 lbs you've got enough mass to work with that you can probably ramp your strength up pretty well before you need to worry about a lot of hypertrophy, but again that will depend on what your long term goals are. Do you want to be super ripped? Super huge?
Right now my biggest goals are to strengthen my joints and back and to lose a total of 45 lbs (15 of which I've lost). I do need and want to be stronger although somewhere down the line I will start looking to increase my endurance/cardio ability but that is really a separate conversation at a different time. Overall my desire isn't necessarily to be ripped or huge, but to be a guy who can do a lot of physical work (and who isn't half crippled because he let obesity destroy his knees and back).
RedTide#1907 on Battle.net
Come Overwatch with meeeee
I finally got into a sort of real gym by using my health insurance to get a discounted membership. My goal? Be able to do a pullup.
The gym has those rings ties to the ceiling, a pull up assist machine, a lat pull down machine, a funky curl bar, and a real adjustable barbell rack. Because I have no guidance, I'm just doing 5x5 assisted pullups and the big three 5x5 3x a week. Reps are feels light - feels medium - heavy x 3, going up 5lb when I can do heavy x 3 perfect. I eat 3x30g protein powder and 3-4x chicken meals a day.
Again, just like 2 years ago, I am underclocking with squats and deadlifts because the gains are too severe compared to treading water on upper body because I am a pear person. With legs, I know I can go further if I push it and get sore and exhausted. With arms, at some point I am pushing a brick wall and I never, ever feel burn or even tired. Why are my arms made of plastic instead of muscle
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
Hit a personal best of two sets of 6 with 175 at the bench. Any advice on shaking up my typical bench routine would be appreciated. So far I'm just doing 3 sets of usually the same weight but I'm thinking I should warm up with lighter weight first and then maybe close out the same way?
Hit a personal best of two sets of 6 with 175 at the bench. Any advice on shaking up my typical bench routine would be appreciated. So far I'm just doing 3 sets of usually the same weight but I'm thinking I should warm up with lighter weight first and then maybe close out the same way?
I swear by dynamic effort/ max effort routines but you should really just watch your numbers and try new stuff if you get stuck.
Also now is a great time to get your form on lock if it isn't already.
Do two warmup sets. I'm not a big believer in cooldown sets personally. Honestly if you're still making progress, keep doing what you're doing. Changeups are for when that stops happening.
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ButtersA glass of some milksRegistered Userregular
My favorite part of this is how everyone in the room has to squat in sympathy. (oh, they're spotting -- less adorable)
@Paladin I don't know much, but usually when I feel that way about a lift it turns out a technique issue was stopping me from engaging the right muscles fully
Maybe. I have a lot of mental cues to monitor my form on a squat/deadlift: back straight, butt out, thighs to parallel, knees going with shoes, gravity midfoot, plank neck, stomach tight, breath through
Pull-up: Pull up!, no kips plz
Bench Press: Push bar, don't decapitate yourself
Marty: The future, it's where you're going? Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
Posts
I stretch my hips a lot, but not really my lower back. It seems to be mainly squats that cause issues, but walking through the snow is aggravating it a lot too.
I've had some commitment issues. Having a real hard time getting into a consistent routine mostly because my 6yo started basketball and I take him to practice on one of my workout nights (can't change up my schedule), which means I'm not eating dinner until like 8:30pm and I just can't make myself start lifting that late and so soon after eating a full meal. Basketball is almost over, so hopefully I can get back to 3/wk like I should be.
But they do feel better even with that. I'm back up to the same weight I was at before the reset, and I'm not folding over anymore. I think my biggest problem was not keeping upright enough. I was leaning forward which moved the center of mass out in front of me and that was pulling me over. I've been staying more upright and it's let me drive alot harder with my legs.
And I've really liked including the Front Squats on my OHP/DL day. I don't have nearly enough weight to really push my DL anywhere near as high as I should be, so that day always felt like it wasn't enough effort. Adding the FSs has been fun.
Another change I've really like, even though I didn't think I would, has been to reduce my rest times. I was taking relatively long rests because all I was worried about was putting up the weight. But since our Caribbean cruise is fast approaching (beginning of May), I decided I needed to worry more about keeping my heartrate up (along with tracking my eating again) in an effort to shed ~15-20lbs of laziness. So I've cut my rest down to 60sec. It's meant I've missed more reps than I'm used to, but at the end of the workout it feels like I've put in more work. So it's been really satisfying.
Mainly to try and take stress off my hips honestly, which are probably the problem. If I warm up with the bar, I get a shooting pain down my thigh in the bottom position. With weight it's fine, presumably because it pushes me past the point that's the problem? I actually can't stay in the bottom position without weight.
Higher reps as in what? 70-85% you can rock 5's, 85-95% 3's on the low end doubles on the top end, anything higher singles.
I don't like anything higher than 5's when pulling from the floor
First week at the start of the plan is a 3x8 @ 65%, next week is 3x6 @ 75%, everything after that is either 3x3 @ 85-90% or a 5x3 @ 75% until week 14 which is a 1x3 @ 90-95%.
I only pull once a week.
Side of thigh/IT band or front of thigh/quad?
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OLcAGbXhWIVcl5IziVpG0eKFJS3xi_Sac9kYMkRFvD8/edit?usp=sharing
I refer to this chart when figuring out my high intensity sets.
Weird. At a (uninformed, based on hearsay) guess, the back pain might be you shifting forward to relieve the shooting pain in your thigh?
Is the leg pain a longstanding thing?
Regardless, this seems like something a competent sports PT could set straight for you within a session or two.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OLcAGbXhWIVcl5IziVpG0eKFJS3xi_Sac9kYMkRFvD8/edit?usp=sharing
Try pulling twice a week. That will make a difference.
@caligynefob Prilepin's is a good guideline to use.
Same weight and reps? Less weight?
Do one heavy day and one light day with corresponding reps
So if one day is 85% 3x5 for work sets, your light day would look like 65-75% 3x5 for work sets. Depending on how you feel and how you respond to pulling twice a week and what the weight is like. I usually only do 10-15% less on my light day compared to heavy. Similarly, if my heavy deadlift day is 90% 3x3, my light day might be 75-80% for 3x3 based on how I feel my back is going to feel afterwards.
So when I go in, Monday is my heavy squat day and medium pulls, which I compensate because I usually do my rack pulls on my heavy squat day to go easy on my back. Wednesday is my medium squat and light deadlifts, Friday is my light squat and heavy deadlifts.
I'm squatting and pulling three times a week and pressing two to three times a week.
How you fit it in your program is up to. I call it heavy and light, where other programs might call it max effort and dynamic effort days.
Sweet, thanks!
If I were pulling from the floor 3x a week it would be arranged slightly differently, but yeah that's just kinda the rule of thumb I use for my training. I usually only account for 2-3 weeks at a time and program accordingly, but the skeleton stays the same.
If I were training for a meet or competition I would do the 12 or 16 week thing, but I'm not and this allows me to account for shit that crops up in life
That looks like something out of Hellraiser.
I finally will be able to get back to the weights next week once the grandmothers arrive and I'm needed a lot less for new baby duty. But I have managed to get my time on 100 kettlebell swings under 10 minutes on the 40 kilo bell. And I may go pick up an 80 kilo bell from someone this weekend if he hasn't been able to sell it.
And here I thought I was doing well with the 24kg bell and that timing. You're not one-handing that thing, are you?
Holy shit, these user reviews are incredible.
Edit: aww, super disappointed it was only the one awesome review. But it's a doozy.
Focus on form and just keep adding a little bit of weight every week, and before you know it you'll be benching your bodyweight for sets.
Currently 251 lbs @ 6'1 (265 back in early January)
I have no idea how to actually program and I'm really afraid that I'm undereating most days.
Way back in high school I was taught to lift like this:
Squat, deadlift or bench:
Lighter weight x 10
Increase x 8
Increase x 6
Increase x 4
Max x 1
Supplemental exercises for that day:
3 sets x 10
And I basically know thats garbage.
I struggle with the very beginning portion (program wise) of starting strength since I don't think that is where I'm at lifting wise.
The other day on my second deadlift workout since starting back up I did the following:
135 x 5
165 x 5
195 x 5
225 x 5
245 x 5
Double overhand grip, although 245 was starting to challenge that a little.
My goals are to cut weight and increase my overall strength which I know can be at odds nutrition wise but I think I may be able to accomplish both because of my terrible, terrible BMI. But if I have to make a hard prioritization so be it. I also know I'm a long ways removed from my SE++ days, but I greatly appreciate any help ya'll can throw my way.
Come Overwatch with meeeee
I know for myself (only been at this 2ish years) I HAD to track my food intake. LoseIt, My Fitness Pal, or just an actual journal, but something. You will not be able to out train your fork, as I'm guessing your aren't a teen anymore.
I did StrongLifts 5x5 then switched to Ice Cream Fitness Novice 5x5 since it has more accessory work, then eventually transitioned into a more intermediate program.
But the thing I noticed the most with losing the weight was diet, diet, diet. Which isn't to say you have to be a gym-bro and eat nothing but chicken breast, eggs, broccoli and brown rice. I shoot for 80-90% of my calories per day coming from clean (whole) foods. I allow myself 1 "cheat" item per day (usually a CliffBar Builder Bar or Skinny Cow Ice cream sandwich.)
If you're fearing that you're under-eating I'd say that tracking is equally as important.
You can also try different diet styles. Intermittent fasting, low-carb, Paleo, etc. I've done them all. I personally have no hunger issues and 0 diet adherence problems on high fat/protein low-carb diets. On high carb/low fat I'm hungry all day, ery day. I'll wake up at 2am and am starving, go to work hungry, workout hungry, etc. Nothing sates it.
I'd say pick a beginner's program you like, experiment with your diet some what, but make sure you're tracking daily, meal to meal to figure out what is working for you and what isn't, and stick to maintenance calories for a couple months.
Also, meal planning/prep goes a long way. If I don't have food waiting for me when I get home from the gym and food to take with me to work made up when I leave in the morning, I will eat junk all day, no exceptions. I make a weeks worth of chicken breast on Sunday, buy frozen vegetables from Costco in bulk, and make 5 days of omelettes and freeze 3. That way I know what I'm eating every meal, know it's calorie and nutritional content and don't have to worry about it later.
Though there's no shame in using something like a shake or whatever to replace a crappy snack. But the best thing I ever did for myself in the last while is "go buy some damn frozen veggies/chicken breast, and figure out a way to stick it in the oven and make it food". Cheap, tasty, and healthy. Definite impact on how much extra around the middle I've got, and I'm at an age where that damn near takes dynamite.
Lunch is a shake (If I didn't have one for breakfast), can of tuna, meal replacement bar (20-25g protein, 300-400 cal again).
Throw in a banana or apple or both for snacks.
Dinner has been a big lifestyle change as me and the wife were eating out 4-5 times a week. Mostly cook something that consists of protein + vegetable. Only starches have been brown rice or quinoa, think I've had pasta maybe twice since New Years. No potatoes really either.
My two days are work are slightly to radically different since its a communal thing and I'm more likely to have something fried (or a potatoe or whatever) but that part of my life has been improving as well since I've been bringing my own breakfast and lunch much more often.
On days when I'm at home I don't think I'm cracking 2000 calories a day all that often. I'm going to start tracking in March (probably via my fitness pal since my wife has been using that all along), but I'm trying to figure out where to start as a daily intake.
Come Overwatch with meeeee
IMO, nothing wrong with potatoes, but sweet potatoes are amazing with a little butter and some cinnamon. Brown rice and quinoa are great, Costco may have then both in a pre-packaged mix that you can microwave in 90 seconds and is so good. I love that stuff.
You can also crock pot/slow cook stuff. Tough cuts of beef or even various chicken parts some veggies, seasoning and some water or broth of some kind go in the pot, put the lid on, turn it on low, leave for work, come back to deliciousness.
2000 calories might be too low, but once you start tracking you'll know.
Another couple bits of advice: 1.) be honest with your self, (if you ate 3 cookies at work, log 3 cookies, it's not the end of the world,) 2.) measure everything, 3.) if you fall off the wagon (OMG CAKE AT WORK!,) get right back on; don't wait for next Monday or even tomorrow, get back on TODAY, 4.) make small lifestyle changes you can stick with forever. Fad diets are usually crap and you'll never stick with them and/or the changes they do get you.
You sound like you're already off to a good start and are doing smart things already; you should be doing great with a little time.
edit: 5.) if you know you have a special event (date night with the missus, party, etc.) you can under eat a bit each day of the week leading up to it to give yourself a nice cheat cushion so you wont feel guilty. I did this for the Superbowl and had about 2000 extra calories banked come Sunday and didn't worry all that much about what I ate.
(I admit I have trouble remembering this myself.)
Edit: Oh, and yeah, I lost a decent amount of weight pre-weights by just eating better/less, around 1800 calories/day, but about died the second I tried to work out at that level. MFP says I should be around 2600 for "maintenance" at "moderately active" (I'm tall), for instance, and I bounce around there in a bracket, depending on day/etc. You will probably need to go above 2000/day, god knows I did.
And GET SLEEP. Holy shit, get sleep. Sleep is the best.
Fat loss isn't necessarily at odds with strength gains, at least when you're first getting back into lifting. A lot of your initial gains are a result of neural adaptation and at 250 lbs you've got enough mass to work with that you can probably ramp your strength up pretty well before you need to worry about a lot of hypertrophy, but again that will depend on what your long term goals are. Do you want to be super ripped? Super huge?
Is this 531 breakdown fairly on the money?
Right now my biggest goals are to strengthen my joints and back and to lose a total of 45 lbs (15 of which I've lost). I do need and want to be stronger although somewhere down the line I will start looking to increase my endurance/cardio ability but that is really a separate conversation at a different time. Overall my desire isn't necessarily to be ripped or huge, but to be a guy who can do a lot of physical work (and who isn't half crippled because he let obesity destroy his knees and back).
Come Overwatch with meeeee
The gym has those rings ties to the ceiling, a pull up assist machine, a lat pull down machine, a funky curl bar, and a real adjustable barbell rack. Because I have no guidance, I'm just doing 5x5 assisted pullups and the big three 5x5 3x a week. Reps are feels light - feels medium - heavy x 3, going up 5lb when I can do heavy x 3 perfect. I eat 3x30g protein powder and 3-4x chicken meals a day.
Again, just like 2 years ago, I am underclocking with squats and deadlifts because the gains are too severe compared to treading water on upper body because I am a pear person. With legs, I know I can go further if I push it and get sore and exhausted. With arms, at some point I am pushing a brick wall and I never, ever feel burn or even tired. Why are my arms made of plastic instead of muscle
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.
I swear by dynamic effort/ max effort routines but you should really just watch your numbers and try new stuff if you get stuck.
Also now is a great time to get your form on lock if it isn't already.
Of course not!
Maybe...I mean I warm up first but yeah that's what I am doing
My favorite part of this is how everyone in the room has to squat in sympathy.
@Paladin I don't know much, but usually when I feel that way about a lift it turns out a technique issue was stopping me from engaging the right muscles fully
Pull-up: Pull up!, no kips plz
Bench Press: Push bar, don't decapitate yourself
Doc: That's right, twenty five years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next twenty-five world series.