Ok so a few months ago I said I was gonna go look at the gym nearby and start weightlifting.
Well I didn't.
I decided I'm gonna go gym hunting this weekend and start weight lifting finally and get off my lazy ass on this thing!
What should I look for at the gym? I want to do squats/benchs/deadlifts/etc. and is there any sort of specific equipment I should be looking for at the gyms or what?
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KakodaimonosCode fondlerHelping the 1% get richerRegistered Userregular
edited February 2011
Squat rack, flat bench. Decent number of straight bars with enough plates to go around. A decent collection of dumbbells is nice to have also. Try going when it's going to be busy, like after work or around 6 so you can see how easy it is going to be to get in on the equipment.
I am developing a new fitness system called 'dog lifting'. it's all about using a tug of war rope to harness the power of your dog for resistance. sit ups, crunches, tricep extensions, curls, etc.
of course eventually you'll need to up the intensity, so larger and larger dogs will be needed
I want my children's first memories to be of dogs large enough that they rode them like mounts.
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Viscount Islands[INSERT SoKo HERE]...it was the summer of my lifeRegistered Userregular
edited February 2011
So I tried the T-Nation/Tate's tips on form for bench press this morning. Mainly pull my legs back and keeping my back tight while pulling my elbows in.
It was terrible for me, I pretty much had zero drive. Which probably means I was getting what little drive I had before from all the wrong places. Keeping my elbows in and my wrists in line made the bar come down over my solar plexus instead of my chest too.
Ugh I don't think I'm doing this right. Maybe I just need to practice.
Viscount Islands on
I want to do with you
What spring does with the cherry trees.
You definitely, definitely, definitely want elbows in (but not too far in!). They don't have to be right on your body, but try for an angle of about 45 degrees. You want the bar over the solar plexus, because what happens when you have it too far up and your elbows too far out is that you turn it into a front delt exercise, and you put incredible stress on your shoulders. This is part of where ye olde "bench shoulder" comes from.
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Viscount Islands[INSERT SoKo HERE]...it was the summer of my lifeRegistered Userregular
edited February 2011
Okay I'll keep that in mind. I'm guessing it's okay for weight to take a dip while you correct your form before it starts going up again.
Viscount Islands on
I want to do with you
What spring does with the cherry trees.
This is a good series, but that camera guy needs to do better. On the 365 squat, Matt was talking about all the form mistakes the squatter was making, but you couldn't really see them in the frame.
So I tried the T-Nation/Tate's tips on form for bench press this morning. Mainly pull my legs back and keeping my back tight while pulling my elbows in.
It was terrible for me, I pretty much had zero drive. Which probably means I was getting what little drive I had before from all the wrong places. Keeping my elbows in and my wrists in line made the bar come down over my solar plexus instead of my chest too.
Ugh I don't think I'm doing this right. Maybe I just need to practice.
Solar plexus is good. The cue that always did the most for me, and I can't recall off the top of my head whether Tate mentions this or not, was to "pull the bar apart". That is to say, try to pull the bar apart like somebody stuck in a Chinese finger trap (reeeaaally bad metaphor but it is what came to mind). It really activates your lats and gives you a great base to press from.
Anyone here dealt with achilles tendonitis? These fuckers are killing me right now and no amount of stretching seems to fix it. I'm guessing a podiatrist would be a good start, just wondering if anyone had some tips.
Back into gym now. Boss has me on 5s for the next few weeks and then it's hello sheiko. As if this new gym weren't amazing enough, it also turns out that at 6am I am the only one training. This is heaven for me
Yes, I have definitely had that problem, when I first started running last year (at 195 lbs as 5'10")
At the time, I started doing that one stretch--stand in place, and extend up with your toes, putting some pressure on your tendon area. I did 20 a day with no weight while they hurt, and as the pain went away, I started adding light weight. When it completely stopped hurting, I did them with about 40 lbs in my hands.
Now, I do them with 100 lbs of dumbbells. I also lost 20 pounds, and am down to 175, so it is hard to say with any certainty why I don't get it anymore, but before I started doing the stretch, I got it 3 times.
Thanks dude. I'm pretty sure stretching will work, I just need to persevere.
Today was my first gpp day. Had the gym to myself again. Pulling the prowler towards me from the other end of the gym with a big ass rope and then pushing it back. 7 sets. 1 min rest between.
Also, log pressing up to about 70kg and tyre flips. 230kg tyre, 3 sets of 5. I love this place.
Anyone here dealt with achilles tendonitis? These fuckers are killing me right now and no amount of stretching seems to fix it. I'm guessing a podiatrist would be a good start, just wondering if anyone had some tips.
Back into gym now. Boss has me on 5s for the next few weeks and then it's hello sheiko. As if this new gym weren't amazing enough, it also turns out that at 6am I am the only one training. This is heaven for me
Yes, I have definitely had that problem, when I first started running last year (at 195 lbs as 5'10")
At the time, I started doing that one stretch--stand in place, and extend up with your toes, putting some pressure on your tendon area. I did 20 a day with no weight while they hurt, and as the pain went away, I started adding light weight. When it completely stopped hurting, I did them with about 40 lbs in my hands.
Now, I do them with 100 lbs of dumbbells. I also lost 20 pounds, and am down to 175, so it is hard to say with any certainty why I don't get it anymore, but before I started doing the stretch, I got it 3 times.
Thanks dude. I'm pretty sure stretching will work, I just need to persevere.
Today was my first gpp day. Had the gym to myself again. Pulling the prowler towards me from the other end of the gym with a big ass rope and then pushing it back. 7 sets. 1 min rest between.
Also, log pressing up to about 70kg and tyre flips. 230kg tyre, 3 sets of 5. I love this place.
You are away ahead of me on actual lifting! Good luck with your tendon. I hope it feels better soon.
I am exquisitely sore. I did the 1+ day on bench and went 175x5, 195x3, 215x3, and then decided it would be a good time to burn myself out. I did supersets with 90 seconds of rest between each exercise of t-bar and bench at 200 and 175 respectively, and did 10 sets of 5 for each. I feel real good.
Went to get measured for a suit today. I stood still while the dude measured my chest. He says, "Wait, what're you doing -- just relax."
"I am. Do you want me to slouch?"
"Yeah, slouch. Hmm... no, it's still sticking out. I guess you're doing a lot of something. Are you working out or something?"
So it turns out I'm a "44 long," apparently. I need to look into purchasing an "athletic" cut suit.
Feels kinda nice.
Highest of fives. Did the dude give you an appreciative once over after you told him you work out?
I'm just starting to get to the 'looks good in nicely fitted clothes' phase but I already love the changes. Cannot wait till I lose the rest of my 'being a fat bastard' weight and buy real clothes where I actually want to care about fits and cuts.
I just kind of sheepishly said, "Yeah, a little." He then just said "Well you'll need to look for an athletic cut, then," very matter-of-factly.
I used to be chubby all throughout high school and for awhile after. It's an enormous confidence boost once you get your weight under control. Just don't make the same mistake that I did and try to get as skinny as possible -- that's not the way to go.
I had missed 2 weeks there on my 5/3/1 and just got back to it for month 3, I hadn't gotten a new PR since coming back so had briefly considered a reset even. Until tonight. 220X8 on squats for week 2. Hotness.
Had one of the HUGE guys at the gym spot me too, was real cool of em. I really wish I had a giant friend to come to the gym to yell at me when I was trying for PRs. That shit helps.
Chessboxing909 on
"I will f**kin' beat you into the ground in front of your whole life that I don't get to have." -Nick Diaz
I brought up creatine cycling a month or two ago, and iirc the consensus was that it's not necessary -- you can just stay on creatine all the time. I really don't see why you would need to cycle off in any case -- all creatine does, afaik, is load your muscles with extra water or something to increase ATP storage a bit. The effect seems to be to give you that little extra bit of stored energy to potentially get one extra rep that you may have otherwise missed.
In any event, the washout period for creatine is something like 8 weeks. That's two months off, all for a benefit that I haven't even heard specifically. This could just be my own ignorance (and I do have a lot of that), but I don't see any point to going off of creatine.
What's the best part of working 11p-7a, that completely washes over the fact that your sleep schedule is horrendous, you never see your wife or that you haven't had a weekend off in 2 years?
Tonight is my night off and I'm going to the Gym at 3am, when all the equipment will be empty and I can take as long as I damned well please. Shit, might go sit in the spa for a little bit after lifting.
The only really big guys at my gym look to be fairly obvious juicers.
I'm pretty sure this guy is juicing but he knows his stuff and he's a nice guy so really doesn't matter. I miss having someone to spot, my buddy who had been lifting with me got caught cheating on his wife and basically couldnt leave the house without her freaking out so he ended up quitting on me and haven't found anyone that consistently lifts and does the same stuff as me since.
Chessboxing909 on
"I will f**kin' beat you into the ground in front of your whole life that I don't get to have." -Nick Diaz
I brought up creatine cycling a month or two ago, and iirc the consensus was that it's not necessary -- you can just stay on creatine all the time. I really don't see why you would need to cycle off in any case -- all creatine does, afaik, is load your muscles with extra water or something to increase ATP storage a bit. The effect seems to be to give you that little extra bit of stored energy to potentially get one extra rep that you may have otherwise missed.
In any event, the washout period for creatine is something like 8 weeks. That's two months off, all for a benefit that I haven't even heard specifically. This could just be my own ignorance (and I do have a lot of that), but I don't see any point to going off of creatine.
Yeah, I may not actually cycle. I am doing a loading week and will go on a 5g maintenance daily dose after that.
I brought up creatine cycling a month or two ago, and iirc the consensus was that it's not necessary -- you can just stay on creatine all the time. I really don't see why you would need to cycle off in any case -- all creatine does, afaik, is load your muscles with extra water or something to increase ATP storage a bit. The effect seems to be to give you that little extra bit of stored energy to potentially get one extra rep that you may have otherwise missed.
In any event, the washout period for creatine is something like 8 weeks. That's two months off, all for a benefit that I haven't even heard specifically. This could just be my own ignorance (and I do have a lot of that), but I don't see any point to going off of creatine.
Yeah, I may not actually cycle. I am doing a loading week and will go on a 5g maintenance daily dose after that.
And some people will argue the loading phase isn't necessary either. But I'm not gonna tell you what to do, creatine is cheap as shit anyways.
Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about Creatine.
My question will be twofold. So - is creatine a supplement I can use while trying to lose bodyfat? I understand that it's used to gain that 'extra pump' and assist in the building of lean muscle mass, but would I be better served losing the BF first and then moving onto bulking?
And secondly, is there a preference when it comes to the type of Creatine? Is it worth going for something like BSN NO-Xplode with all it's additions and 'Concentrated performance igniter!' or just sticking with something simple, like ON's Micronized Creatine Powder.?
Creatine purportedly causes a little water retention, but I've anecdotally never seen it to be noticeable. In any event, the benefits to endurance (in terms of letting you build more lean mass) would probably far outweigh any slight water retention if your goal is strictly to burn off fat.
And as long as you're getting in 5g of creation monohydrate on a daily basis, you're set; all the extra frills that supplement makers add to their proprietary blends seem fairly dubious.
Disclaimer: I know next to nothing about Creatine.
My question will be twofold. So - is creatine a supplement I can use while trying to lose bodyfat? I understand that it's used to gain that 'extra pump' and assist in the building of lean muscle mass, but would I be better served losing the BF first and then moving onto bulking?
And secondly, is there a preference when it comes to the type of Creatine? Is it worth going for something like BSN NO-Xplode with all it's additions and 'Concentrated performance igniter!' or just sticking with something simple, like ON's Micronized Creatine Powder.?
Creatine isn't a 'weight gain' or 'weight loss' supplement. Creatine acts as a phosphate donor to help quickly replenish ATP in muscle cells.
From the beginning: Muscle fibers are composed of two types of protein chains: actin and myosin chains. actin chains are bound to the superstructure of the muscle, while myosin chains are bound between actin chains. muscle flexion occurs when the globular heads on the myosin chains release the actin chain and then rebind to it closer to the end of the sarcomere. the net effect is like thousands of little hands pulling the two ends of the sarcomere closer together.
ATP, as I think we all know, is the primary currency of energy exchange inside the cell. It is derived from metabolic pathways, and is consumed in enzymatic and other reactions. One of the actions which requires ATP is the head of the myosin chain unbinding from the actin chain. Without ATP, the two chains stay bound to each other and no muscle movement is possible. This is the cause of rigor mortis.
ATP is present in abundance in every cell of the body. Usually, it never comes close to depletion because the body is very good at producing it. Under normal aerobic respiration, the body can produce around 30 ATP molecules from one molecule of glucose. However, the body is significantly less efficient at producing ATP which oxygen is not present; in these situations, one molecule of glucose only leads to two molecules of ATP. Consequently, in situations such as heavy weightlifting, the demand for ATP grossly outstrips the capacity of the cells to produce it, and depletion can occur.
The creatine system is a system which exists naturally in the body, and exists specifically to maintain ATP levels in muscles ungergoing anaerobic respiration. Creatine can exist in phosphorylated and unphosphorylated states within the muscle cells, though the body always strives to maintain 100% phosphorylation. When ATP levels drop, phospho-creatine can donate its phospho group to an ADP molecule to reform ATP. However, just like with the production of ATP itself, the phosphorylation of creatine by creatine kinase is a rate-limiting step.
Creatine supplementation is an effort to maintain ATP levels in type II muscle cells (the strong ones capable of undergoing anaerobic respiration) so that an extra few reps can be squeezed out of a set. By having a larger initial stock of phosphocreatine, high levels of ATP can be maintained for a few seconds more.
Creatine, therefore, is not a particularly useful supplement if you're not lifting heavy and to failure on a regular basis. However, it is not specifically a 'weight gain' or 'weight loss' supplement. It's a 'work harder' supplement.
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Well I didn't.
I decided I'm gonna go gym hunting this weekend and start weight lifting finally and get off my lazy ass on this thing!
What should I look for at the gym? I want to do squats/benchs/deadlifts/etc. and is there any sort of specific equipment I should be looking for at the gyms or what?
of course eventually you'll need to up the intensity, so larger and larger dogs will be needed
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I have proof!
Don't go asking why I have a picture of a young boy with his shirt off...
Holy hell I want a dog like that
I love south american ground karate
It was terrible for me, I pretty much had zero drive. Which probably means I was getting what little drive I had before from all the wrong places. Keeping my elbows in and my wrists in line made the bar come down over my solar plexus instead of my chest too.
Ugh I don't think I'm doing this right. Maybe I just need to practice.
What spring does with the cherry trees.
What spring does with the cherry trees.
http://articles.elitefts.com/articles/powerlifting-articles/so-you-think-you-can-squat-part-3/
as long as i keep the weight low for a while
if only i had been so sensible earlier on then i would not be in this position ah poops
doing 1 legged squats randomly at home shows that my left leg still needs more work before it is back to normal
This is a good series, but that camera guy needs to do better. On the 365 squat, Matt was talking about all the form mistakes the squatter was making, but you couldn't really see them in the frame.
Solar plexus is good. The cue that always did the most for me, and I can't recall off the top of my head whether Tate mentions this or not, was to "pull the bar apart". That is to say, try to pull the bar apart like somebody stuck in a Chinese finger trap (reeeaaally bad metaphor but it is what came to mind). It really activates your lats and gives you a great base to press from.
My back is still bothering me, though it seems to be getting better. It's a very mild, nagging pain now.
It's not too bad as it turns out that I basically have no time to lift this semester anyway.
Keep on keepin' on bigdudes.
Thanks dude. I'm pretty sure stretching will work, I just need to persevere.
Today was my first gpp day. Had the gym to myself again. Pulling the prowler towards me from the other end of the gym with a big ass rope and then pushing it back. 7 sets. 1 min rest between.
Also, log pressing up to about 70kg and tyre flips. 230kg tyre, 3 sets of 5. I love this place.
You are away ahead of me on actual lifting! Good luck with your tendon. I hope it feels better soon.
I'm savouring this as my reward for the frustration endured in the last gym, run by hater mcgee.
Once I get proper internet back (moving house so only got my phone right now) i'll put up some pics. It's bigman heaven - truly a bigmansion
"I am. Do you want me to slouch?"
"Yeah, slouch. Hmm... no, it's still sticking out. I guess you're doing a lot of something. Are you working out or something?"
So it turns out I'm a "44 long," apparently. I need to look into purchasing an "athletic" cut suit.
Feels kinda nice.
Highest of fives. Did the dude give you an appreciative once over after you told him you work out?
I'm just starting to get to the 'looks good in nicely fitted clothes' phase but I already love the changes. Cannot wait till I lose the rest of my 'being a fat bastard' weight and buy real clothes where I actually want to care about fits and cuts.
I used to be chubby all throughout high school and for awhile after. It's an enormous confidence boost once you get your weight under control. Just don't make the same mistake that I did and try to get as skinny as possible -- that's not the way to go.
Had one of the HUGE guys at the gym spot me too, was real cool of em. I really wish I had a giant friend to come to the gym to yell at me when I was trying for PRs. That shit helps.
I love south american ground karate
I am starting creatine cycling though! Tomorrow I will post some pics to serve as the "before" set
Follow me on Twitter??
In any event, the washout period for creatine is something like 8 weeks. That's two months off, all for a benefit that I haven't even heard specifically. This could just be my own ignorance (and I do have a lot of that), but I don't see any point to going off of creatine.
Tonight is my night off and I'm going to the Gym at 3am, when all the equipment will be empty and I can take as long as I damned well please. Shit, might go sit in the spa for a little bit after lifting.
Fuck yeah.
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I'm pretty sure this guy is juicing but he knows his stuff and he's a nice guy so really doesn't matter. I miss having someone to spot, my buddy who had been lifting with me got caught cheating on his wife and basically couldnt leave the house without her freaking out so he ended up quitting on me and haven't found anyone that consistently lifts and does the same stuff as me since.
I love south american ground karate
Yeah, I may not actually cycle. I am doing a loading week and will go on a 5g maintenance daily dose after that.
Follow me on Twitter??
And some people will argue the loading phase isn't necessary either. But I'm not gonna tell you what to do, creatine is cheap as shit anyways.
I just started taking 5g a day and have been since about May. I feel it's made a big difference in my progress.
My question will be twofold. So - is creatine a supplement I can use while trying to lose bodyfat? I understand that it's used to gain that 'extra pump' and assist in the building of lean muscle mass, but would I be better served losing the BF first and then moving onto bulking?
And secondly, is there a preference when it comes to the type of Creatine? Is it worth going for something like BSN NO-Xplode with all it's additions and 'Concentrated performance igniter!' or just sticking with something simple, like ON's Micronized Creatine Powder.?
STEAM | XBL | PSN
And as long as you're getting in 5g of creation monohydrate on a daily basis, you're set; all the extra frills that supplement makers add to their proprietary blends seem fairly dubious.
Creatine isn't a 'weight gain' or 'weight loss' supplement. Creatine acts as a phosphate donor to help quickly replenish ATP in muscle cells.
From the beginning: Muscle fibers are composed of two types of protein chains: actin and myosin chains. actin chains are bound to the superstructure of the muscle, while myosin chains are bound between actin chains. muscle flexion occurs when the globular heads on the myosin chains release the actin chain and then rebind to it closer to the end of the sarcomere. the net effect is like thousands of little hands pulling the two ends of the sarcomere closer together.
ATP, as I think we all know, is the primary currency of energy exchange inside the cell. It is derived from metabolic pathways, and is consumed in enzymatic and other reactions. One of the actions which requires ATP is the head of the myosin chain unbinding from the actin chain. Without ATP, the two chains stay bound to each other and no muscle movement is possible. This is the cause of rigor mortis.
ATP is present in abundance in every cell of the body. Usually, it never comes close to depletion because the body is very good at producing it. Under normal aerobic respiration, the body can produce around 30 ATP molecules from one molecule of glucose. However, the body is significantly less efficient at producing ATP which oxygen is not present; in these situations, one molecule of glucose only leads to two molecules of ATP. Consequently, in situations such as heavy weightlifting, the demand for ATP grossly outstrips the capacity of the cells to produce it, and depletion can occur.
The creatine system is a system which exists naturally in the body, and exists specifically to maintain ATP levels in muscles ungergoing anaerobic respiration. Creatine can exist in phosphorylated and unphosphorylated states within the muscle cells, though the body always strives to maintain 100% phosphorylation. When ATP levels drop, phospho-creatine can donate its phospho group to an ADP molecule to reform ATP. However, just like with the production of ATP itself, the phosphorylation of creatine by creatine kinase is a rate-limiting step.
Creatine supplementation is an effort to maintain ATP levels in type II muscle cells (the strong ones capable of undergoing anaerobic respiration) so that an extra few reps can be squeezed out of a set. By having a larger initial stock of phosphocreatine, high levels of ATP can be maintained for a few seconds more.
Creatine, therefore, is not a particularly useful supplement if you're not lifting heavy and to failure on a regular basis. However, it is not specifically a 'weight gain' or 'weight loss' supplement. It's a 'work harder' supplement.
If the answer is cocaine then I'm set.