My exercise research study time is winding down, so we're doing all of the end of study stuff. Yesterday I did my 1RMs -
Chest press - 175lbs
Leg press - 780lbs (I tried to convince them to let me try 800lbs but they declined)
Leg extension - 305lbs+ (Maxed out the machine, so I don't actually know what my max is)
Feeling pretty good about my progress over the past three months, and now I have to find a gym/strength training app I like to keep it all going. I'll have the rest of the nitty gritty data, including full body composition x-rays, in a couple weeks. Very excited to look over that data.
We’re moving in May to a larger place with a two-car garage - that means it’s finally time to build my home gym. I already have a lot of it specced out, but I’d love to hear everyone’s garage gym’s tips, must-haves, etc.
Make sure you have storage lined up, I didn't have a good plan for storing barbells or plates or anything else really when I did my first pass on the gym and that's led to a lot of Heavy Stuff on the Ground that's annoying and in the way. Don't be like me!
Decide what size bolts you want, based on attachments you like. One inch bolt sized racks are more expensive, but have the widest compatibility. I have 5/8 inch bolts, which was less expensive, but compatible with less of the available attachments. Both sizes are more than enough to handle anything you can throw at them.
Some kind of cable system is highly recommended. Whether that’s a rack mounted pulley, functional trainer, single stack or lat pull down/low row is up to you based on space/budget.
You can never have too many bars. No matter what.
HORSE
STALL
MATS
Gork on
+3
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
So I've wanted to try deadlifts but I've noticed my mobility is such that I can't go pass a certain depth without rolling my back.
That's no good and I was wondering how I could fix that.
Any chance you could take a short video of yourself trying to get into position? It could be a few things and it'll be a million percent easier for us to give advice if we can see your form.
Alternatively, which part of your back is rounding? And when you say "depth," what are your steps for getting set up? You're trying to push your hips back to reach the bar but not necessarily down.
0
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Any chance you could take a short video of yourself trying to get into position? It could be a few things and it'll be a million percent easier for us to give advice if we can see your form.
Alternatively, which part of your back is rounding? And when you say "depth," what are your steps for getting set up? You're trying to push your hips back to reach the bar but not necessarily down.
Hmmm I could see what I can so. Usually I keep my feet planted and go down but once my hips get to like knee level I can really go lower while keeping that.
I have an instructor who is also a personal trainer he said from looking at my form he thinks my shoulders/upper back are too tight. But I have no idea how that would affect my ability to squat down.
whoa if you're deadlifting then your hips should be in no way parallel with your knees, not even a little, and certainly not lower. I have more questions now than I did before!
+2
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
edited March 2022
I didn't actually lift cause I wasn't tryna hurt my back.
Also I'm kinda tall so I have a high center of gravity
Just to make sure we're talking about the same thing, you mean this, yes? Bar on the ground, pick it up? You can see from the side view of the relatively averagely proportioned gentleman in the video that his hips are a good bit higher than his knees, which is what's leading to my confusion.
The thing I try to tell myself when deadlifting is maximum hip flexion minimal knee flexion. Its a back / hip lift not legs helps me keep everything in place.
Okay I had to get out of 5x5 Starting Strength. When I got into higher weights if squats it just was too much every week. Squatting three days a week just left my legs feeling miserable all the time.
So I shifted into something with more variety.
A - Chest and Back - Bench Press, Incline Row, Bent Over Row, Pull Overs, Diamond Press, Dead Lift.
B - Legs and Shoulders - Squat, Arnold Press, Calf Raises, Military Press, Bulgarian Squats, Upright Row.
C - Biceps and Triceps - Three of Each.
I aim for five sets of eight reps for each exercise. That leaves me 30 sets done over about an hour (depending on how much the kids want to be involved and mess up my rhythm).
I've had a really shitty month of consistent workouts and my squat has regressed a bit. I worked up to a top set of 215 pounds and then did back offs. Fuckin 185 felt heavy today.
I need to get out of this run, get my nutrition back on track and get moving again. Feel like I'm made of sludge.
Started squats while on hold with a bank customer service rep. Let me tell you, nothing lights a fire under your ass to finish a squat when you have to unmute to answer some questions about potential fraud on your main checking account.
Today was my first real day back in the gym since I started this job 6m ago. Felt good to get back. I figured if I couldn’t make time for it on literally the first warm day of the year then it was gonna be a bad sign for the year.
Deloading probably not the best term this is basically starting over just with a higher baseline. Gonna just do some SL5x5 for a couple weeks to get back into the groove and early soreness then figure out what I want more specifically to focus. All I know is deadlifting always makes me feel so hype when you put that last rep down. It’s like the last rep is all the HGH
Deadlift rep PR today. 455lbs for a set of three. While cutting. All hail ChadBot. And getting my ass in bed by 9:45pm without getting woken up in the middle of the night.
Now if I could only get my shit together on squats.
Did a one armed pullup with 8kgs assistance today on the right arm, 11kgs on the left. Pretty nice. Probably got to add about 12kgs to my max pullup to get them unassisted but that's not tooooo bad
Nobody has their shit together on all three comp lifts at once, I don't believe it.
Oh man is this ever right. My last meet prep has bench feeling great, and that’s always been my iffy lift. Then my most solid lift (deadlift) took a nosedive and I ended up benching a meet PR and pulling the lowest I’ve ever hit in competition.
My post-meet weight-gain-gains keep coming. Finally hit a 200kg squat!
Looks like Louie Simmons passed, West Side's official Instagram announced it. Say what you will about the man but there won't be another like him and what he created at West Side is really unique and special.
Edit: that said I did work up to a 2 rep top set of 295 pounds which is the highest I've gone yet. I didn't even pass all the way out! Not too bad for having also been sick the last day or two.
Inching closer to being back in the 300 club for something at least. I don't know where my traditional deadlifts stand though. I may go in Sunday and just do pyramids of that until I can get an idea.
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Being tall and having bad ankle mobility always hurt my squat then somebody at the gym told me about weightlifting shoes. I got some and it's so much easier.
Looks like Louie Simmons passed, West Side's official Instagram announced it. Say what you will about the man but there won't be another like him and what he created at West Side is really unique and special.
He was pretty far out there but if you can read and understand what he put out in terms of knowledge and how to appropriately use it, absolutely a game changer.
I specifically have to thank Dave Tate and Nate Harvey for my eventual understanding of conjugate in a way that my pea brain could comprehend.
Definitely been a year’s worth of big losses as far as influential individuals. Dave Draper, John Meadows, Bud Jeffries, Tommy Suggs, Louie Simmons.
diablo III - beardsnbeer#1508 Mechwarrior Online - Rusty Bock
Took some random measurements today and my chest is still holding at about 44" and same with my waist at 34-35" so no big changes there. I did add about a quarter inch to my arms though so I'm at roughly 16 1/4" which ain't nothing I guess. So that's some very minor indication of recomp I think since my overall weight is still roughly between 209-212 lbs.
I'm also noticing a little more evenness and size to my traps and I feel like my rear delts are, well maybe not getting more defined but feel thicker. Got a little extra striation in my shoulders. So progress! Tiny, tiny progress! I'm honestly surprised since I've been so off my game for the last month or so.
I was wrong (sorta) about squatting. It doesn't help with bouldering but what does it help with that you do a lot of? landing
Kneehab continues and box/air squats are part of it. With the mobility back to getting to the point where I can barbell squat, it's time to start doing that very gently at low weight and ideally get to the point in the long term where I'm fully fixed with a double BW squat.
I have a grade 2 MCL tear in my right knee that came from a bad fall onto bare rock, twisted my leg. Been a bit over three weeks, probably another 3-4 weeks until its really usable for harder stuff
I was wrong (sorta) about squatting. It doesn't help with bouldering but what does it help with that you do a lot of? landing
Kneehab continues and box/air squats are part of it. With the mobility back to getting to the point where I can barbell squat, it's time to start doing that very gently at low weight and ideally get to the point in the long term where I'm fully fixed with a double BW squat.
It will also help with dynos/deadpoints.
When I was climbing a lot previously, I also skied a bunch (which basically just constant squats of various height) and I could out-dyno people who climbed much harder than me.
And @schuss sorry I should clarify I do think you're definitely right up to the point where you can squat like 90kgs for reps, but beyond that I don't think it does just in the sense that hard dynos etc tend to involve really tricky forearm power generation rather than jumping so much. And of course weight is a consideration so overtraining legs is something to think about; having stronger legs past a point won't help but in terms of training resources, weight etc they might cause an issue.
But. When you take into account bouldering, and falling, I think for longevity it's just key. I'd say that it's worth doing for boulderers to 150kgs or something like that.
And @schuss sorry I should clarify I do think you're definitely right up to the point where you can squat like 90kgs for reps, but beyond that I don't think it does just in the sense that hard dynos etc tend to involve really tricky forearm power generation rather than jumping so much. And of course weight is a consideration so overtraining legs is something to think about; having stronger legs past a point won't help but in terms of training resources, weight etc they might cause an issue.
But. When you take into account bouldering, and falling, I think for longevity it's just key. I'd say that it's worth doing for boulderers to 150kgs or something like that.
Well anyway we can test, I'll see if it helps me!
I was more referring to box jumps and the like - there's a significant difference in fast twitch power if you do a lot of exercises like that. I agree that forearm power matters, but having rocket ship legs is great provided it's not fully overhanging.
I think jumping can be useful yeah. I'm just thinking like, dynos in the 7s tend to be about pulling HARD rather than being able to get loads from the feet. But I do definitely think being able to jump is useful especially in the sense that it gets you used to doing it.
I think jumping can be useful yeah. I'm just thinking like, dynos in the 7s tend to be about pulling HARD rather than being able to get loads from the feet. But I do definitely think being able to jump is useful especially in the sense that it gets you used to doing it.
Ha, yours must have better hands than ours. Most of the hard local boulder dynos here in NH have awful hands - like stacking fingers on quartz chips awful.
Hahah its the same here too, I just think that realistically the limiting factor is fingers and forearm power, not leg power! Either that or they're slopers and it's the same deal.
I think that once you can do pistol squats you're basically maxed out in terms of individual moves, although if you can't do pistol squats, that'll probably help. In terms of doing dynos I think campusing is probably the main way of getting better. And finger strength, always and forever
Hahah its the same here too, I just think that realistically the limiting factor is fingers and forearm power, not leg power! Either that or they're slopers and it's the same deal.
I think that once you can do pistol squats you're basically maxed out in terms of individual moves, although if you can't do pistol squats, that'll probably help. In terms of doing dynos I think campusing is probably the main way of getting better. And finger strength, always and forever
100% - there used to be a pro climber (not just mild pro, like sent 5.15 pro) in our gym, and his warmup was to do campus laps of the boulder room with a 50 lb weight vest on. It was at that point I accepted I probably would never climb hard 5.14's.
He (Vasya) developed most of this route: https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106905810/jaws-ii
Worked up to 3 sets of 275 on the traditional deadlift. It was supposed to be 3 sets of 5 but the last 2 I really only managed about 3 reps and those were with resets.
My traditionals do not move as well as sumos and I'm very frustrated. The big issue I encountered was getting very light headed during my pulls, which made setting up for my next rep more difficult. It may be because I didn't really eat before hand but I've noticed some wooziness even on days I've carbed up before.
I dunno.
Edit: did some googling and it looks like a case of dehydration. Not necessarily a lack of water but more a lack of electrolytes and water. I brought a powerade but I probably should've had it before hand instead of during.
I might look into potassium supplements as well since I'm not a huge fan of bananas and my fruit intake tends to be iffy since they usually go bad before I can eat them all.
Or I'll just go back to horking down a whole kiwi like a black snake eats a chicken egg every morning.
My reverse hyper’s weight pin is kind of dinky and couldn’t accommodate more weight, so I capped the plate amount and banded the pin to my rack for extra resistance. Got damn, did that burn up my glutes more than usual. Probably because the resistance curve was much higher at the end from the bands. Much better solution than getting a full sized reverse hyper.
+2
DragkoniasThat Guy Who Does StuffYou Know, There. Registered Userregular
Gotten to the point where I can do 185x7x3 on the Bench Press. Following a rule of thumb of increasing the weight by 10 every time I'm able to do 8x3.
Ultimate Goal is 225 but I'm guessing at the rate I've been improving its probably gonna take me 6 months.
Posts
Chest press - 175lbs
Leg press - 780lbs (I tried to convince them to let me try 800lbs but they declined)
Leg extension - 305lbs+ (Maxed out the machine, so I don't actually know what my max is)
Feeling pretty good about my progress over the past three months, and now I have to find a gym/strength training app I like to keep it all going. I'll have the rest of the nitty gritty data, including full body composition x-rays, in a couple weeks. Very excited to look over that data.
Some kind of cable system is highly recommended. Whether that’s a rack mounted pulley, functional trainer, single stack or lat pull down/low row is up to you based on space/budget.
You can never have too many bars. No matter what.
HORSE
STALL
MATS
That's no good and I was wondering how I could fix that.
Alternatively, which part of your back is rounding? And when you say "depth," what are your steps for getting set up? You're trying to push your hips back to reach the bar but not necessarily down.
Hmmm I could see what I can so. Usually I keep my feet planted and go down but once my hips get to like knee level I can really go lower while keeping that.
I have an instructor who is also a personal trainer he said from looking at my form he thinks my shoulders/upper back are too tight. But I have no idea how that would affect my ability to squat down.
Also I'm kinda tall so I have a high center of gravity
So I shifted into something with more variety.
A - Chest and Back - Bench Press, Incline Row, Bent Over Row, Pull Overs, Diamond Press, Dead Lift.
B - Legs and Shoulders - Squat, Arnold Press, Calf Raises, Military Press, Bulgarian Squats, Upright Row.
C - Biceps and Triceps - Three of Each.
I aim for five sets of eight reps for each exercise. That leaves me 30 sets done over about an hour (depending on how much the kids want to be involved and mess up my rhythm).
I need to get out of this run, get my nutrition back on track and get moving again. Feel like I'm made of sludge.
300lbs for four at RPE $.
I’ll let myself out…
Deloading probably not the best term this is basically starting over just with a higher baseline. Gonna just do some SL5x5 for a couple weeks to get back into the groove and early soreness then figure out what I want more specifically to focus. All I know is deadlifting always makes me feel so hype when you put that last rep down. It’s like the last rep is all the HGH
Now if I could only get my shit together on squats.
Oh man is this ever right. My last meet prep has bench feeling great, and that’s always been my iffy lift. Then my most solid lift (deadlift) took a nosedive and I ended up benching a meet PR and pulling the lowest I’ve ever hit in competition.
My post-meet weight-gain-gains keep coming. Finally hit a 200kg squat!
Do not reccomend.
Edit: that said I did work up to a 2 rep top set of 295 pounds which is the highest I've gone yet. I didn't even pass all the way out! Not too bad for having also been sick the last day or two.
Inching closer to being back in the 300 club for something at least. I don't know where my traditional deadlifts stand though. I may go in Sunday and just do pyramids of that until I can get an idea.
Thank you random gym guy whoever you were.
He was pretty far out there but if you can read and understand what he put out in terms of knowledge and how to appropriately use it, absolutely a game changer.
I specifically have to thank Dave Tate and Nate Harvey for my eventual understanding of conjugate in a way that my pea brain could comprehend.
Definitely been a year’s worth of big losses as far as influential individuals. Dave Draper, John Meadows, Bud Jeffries, Tommy Suggs, Louie Simmons.
I'm also noticing a little more evenness and size to my traps and I feel like my rear delts are, well maybe not getting more defined but feel thicker. Got a little extra striation in my shoulders. So progress! Tiny, tiny progress! I'm honestly surprised since I've been so off my game for the last month or so.
I was wrong (sorta) about squatting. It doesn't help with bouldering but what does it help with that you do a lot of? landing
Kneehab continues and box/air squats are part of it. With the mobility back to getting to the point where I can barbell squat, it's time to start doing that very gently at low weight and ideally get to the point in the long term where I'm fully fixed with a double BW squat.
Edit: I must have missed it, what are you rehabbing?
It will also help with dynos/deadpoints.
When I was climbing a lot previously, I also skied a bunch (which basically just constant squats of various height) and I could out-dyno people who climbed much harder than me.
And @schuss sorry I should clarify I do think you're definitely right up to the point where you can squat like 90kgs for reps, but beyond that I don't think it does just in the sense that hard dynos etc tend to involve really tricky forearm power generation rather than jumping so much. And of course weight is a consideration so overtraining legs is something to think about; having stronger legs past a point won't help but in terms of training resources, weight etc they might cause an issue.
But. When you take into account bouldering, and falling, I think for longevity it's just key. I'd say that it's worth doing for boulderers to 150kgs or something like that.
Well anyway we can test, I'll see if it helps me!
I was more referring to box jumps and the like - there's a significant difference in fast twitch power if you do a lot of exercises like that. I agree that forearm power matters, but having rocket ship legs is great provided it's not fully overhanging.
Ha, yours must have better hands than ours. Most of the hard local boulder dynos here in NH have awful hands - like stacking fingers on quartz chips awful.
I think that once you can do pistol squats you're basically maxed out in terms of individual moves, although if you can't do pistol squats, that'll probably help. In terms of doing dynos I think campusing is probably the main way of getting better. And finger strength, always and forever
100% - there used to be a pro climber (not just mild pro, like sent 5.15 pro) in our gym, and his warmup was to do campus laps of the boulder room with a 50 lb weight vest on. It was at that point I accepted I probably would never climb hard 5.14's.
He (Vasya) developed most of this route: https://www.mountainproject.com/route/106905810/jaws-ii
My traditionals do not move as well as sumos and I'm very frustrated. The big issue I encountered was getting very light headed during my pulls, which made setting up for my next rep more difficult. It may be because I didn't really eat before hand but I've noticed some wooziness even on days I've carbed up before.
I dunno.
Edit: did some googling and it looks like a case of dehydration. Not necessarily a lack of water but more a lack of electrolytes and water. I brought a powerade but I probably should've had it before hand instead of during.
I might look into potassium supplements as well since I'm not a huge fan of bananas and my fruit intake tends to be iffy since they usually go bad before I can eat them all.
Or I'll just go back to horking down a whole kiwi like a black snake eats a chicken egg every morning.
Ultimate Goal is 225 but I'm guessing at the rate I've been improving its probably gonna take me 6 months.