Random Fitness Questions

Cill94

new2tri19 wrote: »

Should you wear a belt when lifting? I'm not doing 1 rep max type stuff is it only for lifting really heavy? thanks

You don't have to, but it helps.

Makes it easier to brace, which for most people will add kg's to the bar and is arguably going to make it safer.

I just throw it on when I get to about 80% of my max.

Mellor

Most people in the gym wearing a belt are wearing it wrong way, for the wrong reasons, wearing the wrong belt, and/or wearing it for pointless lifts.

But despite all that, yes there is a benefit to a belt as outlined above.

new2tri19

Got a belt in Decathlon its probably rubbish, I had it slightly higher than a normal belt around my abs so it helped me feel when my core was engaged. Did lots of squats and deadlifts 100 of each just practicing good form really deep squatting and breathing and bracing. I actually had a headache afterwards maybe I am exaggerating the breathing part of , strong inhale engage core lift then release the breath.

Cill94

new2tri19 wrote: »

Got a belt in Decathlon its probably rubbish, I had it slightly higher than a normal belt around my abs so it helped me feel when my core was engaged. Did lots of squats and deadlifts 100 of each just practicing good form really deep squatting and breathing and bracing. I actually had a headache afterwards maybe I am exaggerating the breathing part of , strong inhale engage core lift then release the breath.

Decathlon doesn’t seem like the kind of place that would sell good ones. Maybe I’m wrong. It’s worth investing in a good one as they should last a long time.

Some useful information about the breathing in this video: https://youtu.be/-I9LIsIpsQE

the baby bull elephant

https://www.strongerbyscience.com/the-belt-bible/

I held off for a long time on getting a belt but I'm glad I did get one. I only use it for squat and ohp but it's been very beneficial.

Alf Veedersane

I had one from SportsDirect and only really got a proper one when I decided I was going to do a competition.

new2tri19

Cill94 wrote: »

Decathlon doesn’t seem like the kind of place that would sell good ones. Maybe I’m wrong. It’s worth investing in a good one as they should last a long time.

Some useful information about the breathing in this video: https://youtu.be/-I9LIsIpsQE

That was a very helpful video thanks

Black Sheep

I have a 'cheap' belt, a 10mm IPF approved single prong from Strength Shop, and I have an expensive belt from Wahlanders. The Wahdlanders is a much nicer object and now that it's broken in it's more comfortable, but I think the Strength Shop belts are good for the money, especially for a first belt. I had one, passed it on when I got the Wahlanders, and then I ended up going back and buying another one to leave under my desk at work for training there.

Strength Shop belts are also vegan if anyone cares (An increasing number of people seem to).

The only advice I'd offer is if you're buying one with a prong fastening then go for single prong not double prong... Double prong is just a pain to fasten.

Alf Veedersane

Black Sheep wrote: »

I have a 'cheap' belt, a 10mm IPF approved single prong from Strength Shop, and I have an expensive belt from Wahlanders. The Wahdlanders is a much nicer object and now that it's broken in it's more comfortable, but I think the Strength Shop belts are good for the money, especially for a first belt.

Did it take long to break in the Wahlanders one?

The Strength Shop belt didn't really take any time to break in. Did have a little bruising the first few times I wore it but they were surprise bruises as I didn't feel any discomfort using the bel.t

hayoc

Mr. CooL ICE wrote: »

Few static 10+ second holds at the end of every set, be grand. Helps most people's deadlift grip.

Personally, farmers walks are what made a big increase for my deadlift grip.

I got Fat Gripz and I farmers walk with a heavy dumbell in one hand, no Fat Grip attached, and a slightly lighter one in the other hand, Fat Grip attached.

Fat Gripz.

Say 20kg, no Fat Grip, 15kg, Fat Grip. I walk the length of the gym, switch hands, then walk back.

Invariably my left hand starts to lose the grip on the Fat Grip hand by the last set.

I also use hanging from the pull up bars as both a stretch and a grip trainer.

Chalk helps for heavier deads too - I use a rock climbing chalk ball, its not as messy as the liquid chalk, doesnt leave chalk all over the equipment, and it lasts for ages (think Im on the same ball almost 2 years now).

Black Sheep

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Did it take long to break in the Wahlanders one?

The Strength Shop belt didn't really take any time to break in. Did have a little bruising the first few times I wore it but they were surprise bruises as I didn't feel any discomfort using the bel.t

The Wahlanders is, as you'd expect, very hard leather when you first get it. I'm not sure at what point it became 'comfortable', but eventually it has ended up relatively supple. I've had it for about 2 years. I would buy from them again because they're in the EU and it's a nice bit of kit, but I think it's expensive even as handmade leather belts go.

Alf Veedersane

Black Sheep wrote: »

The Wahlanders is, as you'd expect, very hard leather when you first get it. I'm not sure at what point it became 'comfortable', but eventually it has ended up relatively supple. I've had it for about 2 years. I would buy from them again because they're in the EU and it's a nice bit of kit, but I think it's expensive even as handmade leather belts go.

At least you know the lifespan is probably decades.

Or until you get too fat for it.

Cill94

Black Sheep wrote: »

The only advice I'd offer is if you're buying one with a prong fastening then go for single prong not double prong... Double prong is just a pain to fasten.

Definitely second this. Single prongs are the easiest to use and least likely to break in my opinion. Rogue do some nice leather ones. My current one is from METAL and I really like it.

Alf Veedersane

FWIW, the person asking the question is primarily training for triathlons, in which case I'm not really sure shelling out on a decent belt is entirely necessary. I mean I know it's 'only' ~ €65 from strengthshop but I'm not sure it's entirely necessary if you're primarily looking to get stronger in order to minimise injuries.

Nothing wrong with getting one but from the context of the purpose of the resistance training, I don't think it's entirely necessary.

Black Sheep

In that context then, probably no belt required at all, really...

new2tri19

Would anyone be so kind as to critique my workout go easy as I am a newbie and I know the weights I lift are laughable compared to most.
Anyway i've started following GZClP plan i found online. 3 days a week ,a main lift 3 sets of 5 then a tier 2 lift 3 sets of 10 and then some accessory lifts. So today was Tier 1 squat and Tier 2 bench. You don't get a lot more guidance on what exactly to do for the rest of the workout.

What i done today.

Warm up
10 mins skipping.
10 mins hip mobility drills

The aim was 5 sets of 3 squats at 55kg last set is AMRAP
I didn't want to go straight into it so did
10x 20kg (empty bar) trying to go deeper than parallel
2x 25kg
3 x 30kg
3 x 35kg
3 x 40kg
3 x 45kg
3 x 50kg
then took 5 mins and did
3x 55kg 4 times off 3 mins rest and last set was amrap I managed 9 reps .
( was all that warm up necessary? ) the 5 sets of 3 are off 3 mins rest should you just stand around for this or do something else?

next up was bench press.

main set was 3 *(10 x 40kg )
warm up
10x 20
10 x 25
10 x 30
10 x 35
then 5 mins rest and managed the main set comfortably hard.

Next was choose your own exercise and do 3 sets of 15 last set AMRAP , I try mix these up during the week so I'm covering most of the body.
Today I chose to do Bent over row
warm up
10 x 20
main set was
15 x 25kg , 15 x 25kg and last set 20 x 25kg.

I then took 3 mins and did a "finisher leg routine" I found on youtube as it was squat day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyLnnatsE4w&list=PLuKSR49fVA-mGTthp6CR7APERz6dT30Ja&index=19

I then took another 3 mins and did a " finisher chest routine" as chest was Tier 2 exercise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcluglbCrdQ&list=PLuKSR49fVA-mGTthp6CR7APERz6dT30Ja&index=22

And then for nothng but pure vanity reasons I did some bicep curls and tricep dips extensions with the barbell.

Am I going to see progress doing this kinda stuff I plan on increasing weights by 2.5kg each week but otherwise I'm kinda clueless and not sure if i've i'm wasting 90 mins doing this kinda stuff .
Thanks

Cill94

new2tri19 wrote: »

.

I'll answer your Qs as concisely as I can..

1. Warm-up looks fine. The amount of sets you do is very individual. Most important thing is that by the time you get to working weight you should feel more mobile and have practiced your technique. Somewhere between 3 - 5 warm-up sets is generally the sweet spot.

Also you need to do some upper body warm-up too.


2. Rest periods: Strength training means during rest periods, you rest. Now if you want to do some mobility exercises in between that's fine, but you should not be doing anything that's going to take away from your ability to do the next set. That means no push-ups between bench sets or anything like that.

3. Ditch the finishers. There's far too much in those vidoes. You're going to burn the candle at both ends here. If you want some stuff to do at the end, just follow the 5-3-1 assistance work templates. Look under 'Assistance Work' in this article: https://jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101065094-5-3-1-for-a-beginner

4. You'll definitely see progress so long as you keep making smart weight jumps and eating properly.

new2tri19

Cill94 wrote: »

I'll answer your Qs as concisely as I can..

1. Warm-up looks fine. The amount of sets you do is very individual. Most important thing is that by the time you get to working weight you should feel more mobile and have practiced your technique. Somewhere between 3 - 5 warm-up sets is generally the sweet spot.

Also you need to do some upper body warm-up too.


2. Rest periods: Strength training means during rest periods, you rest. Now if you want to do some mobility exercises in between that's fine, but you should not be doing anything that's going to take away from your ability to do the next set. That means no push-ups between bench sets or anything like that.

3. Ditch the finishers. There's far too much in those vidoes. You're going to burn the candle at both ends here. If you want some stuff to do at the end, just follow the 5-3-1 assistance work templates. Look under 'Assistance Work' in this article: https://jimwendler.com/blogs/jimwendler-com/101065094-5-3-1-for-a-beginner

4. You'll definitely see progress so long as you keep making smart weight jumps and eating properly.

Thanks mate , sound advice there i'll do what you said .

A couple of questions about supplements and weight lifting.

In general, is it worth taking a multi-vitamin like ON Opti-Men? I currently don't take anything. How about fish oil as well?
Creatine and Beta-Alanine. I'm interested in these if they can help me progress better. Should I just start taking them? I already take protein three times a week after the gym.
Pre-Workout. The internet seems split. I already have a big coffee before the gym. Is there any other ingredient I should look at individually to help give a boost?

Anyways, things are going well since I got back into it over the last few months. It was a bad few months for stress and weight loss before that, and figure I may as well go all in while the motivation is there and I'm putting the weight back on in better places. I was 65kg. Plan was 70kg. Dropped to 59.2kg. Back up to 61.5kg. Really want to get back to 65kg.

Mr. CooL ICE

If your diet is well rounded, supplements probably aren't necessary. If you take in a decent amount of different veg, a few protein sources and good carbs every day, along with ensuring you get 8 hours sleep a night, you're probably all set. But chances are, your diet isn't as well rounded as you think. Things like fish oils are good if your fish intake is low, etc

As for pre workout; different strokes for different folks. I've had pre workout before and thought I was going to die after it. Coffee does me. Iirc, there's even been research that caffeine inhibits hypertrophy, but I can't remember the validity of this.

Mr. CooL ICE

Mr. CooL ICE wrote: »

If your diet is well rounded, supplements probably aren't necessary. If you take in a decent amount of different veg, a few protein sources and good carbs every day, along with ensuring you get 8 hours sleep a night, you're probably all set. But chances are, your diet isn't as well rounded as you think. Things like fish oils are good if your fish intake is low, etc

As for pre workout; different strokes for different folks. I've had pre workout before and thought I was going to die after it. Coffee does me. Iirc, there's even been research that caffeine inhibits hypertrophy, but I can't remember the validity of this.

The only good thing about my diet is that it isn't sugary or particularly fatty. It's definitely not diverse enough to get what's ideal. Home cooking happens maybe once every two weeks. A lot of my meals are basic noodles type dishes.

Sleep is a lot better recently. Six and a half to seven is my max and I'm getting that most days.

Alf Veedersane

[Deleted User] wrote: »

A couple of questions about supplements and weight lifting.

In general, is it worth taking a multi-vitamin like ON Opti-Men? I currently don't take anything. How about fish oil as well?
Creatine and Beta-Alanine. I'm interested in these if they can help me progress better. Should I just start taking them? I already take protein three times a week after the gym.
Pre-Workout. The internet seems split. I already have a big coffee before the gym. Is there any other ingredient I should look at individually to help give a boost?

Anyways, things are going well since I got back into it over the last few months. It was a bad few months for stress and weight loss before that, and figure I may as well go all in while the motivation is there and I'm putting the weight back on in better places. I was 65kg. Plan was 70kg. Dropped to 59.2kg. Back up to 61.5kg. Really want to get back to 65kg.

How much protein you supplement with depends on your diet but I would be trying to keep protein intake constant and not only have it on days you go to the gym.

Take creatine.

Coffee will do as a pre-workout.

Sunrise_Sunset

My schedule has changed recently and it looks like I might only be able to make it to the gym twice a week on consecutive days, for the next while. Is it any use in doing full body strength training on both of these days? It obviously means only 24 hours of rest after the first session, which is sub-optimal. I have no equipment to work-out at home. I'm female and usually do 3 lower body and 2 upper body sessions per week.

caviardreams

Sunrise_Sunset wrote: »

My schedule has changed recently and it looks like I might only be able to make it to the gym twice a week on consecutive days, for the next while. Is it any use in doing full body strength training on both of these days? It obviously means only 24 hours of rest after the first session, which is sub-optimal. I have no equipment to work-out at home. I'm female and usually do 3 lower body and 2 upper body sessions per week.

Personally in that context I would switch to either an upper and lower day, or a push day and a pull day, if they are going to be consecutive rather than 2 full body days.

Alf Veedersane

caviardreams wrote: »

Personally in that context I would switch to either an upper and lower day, or a push day and a pull day, if they are going to be consecutive rather than 2 full body days.

I would agree. Its the fact that they're consecutive days.

Full body two days in a row is sacrificing recovery for frequency and thats a bad trade off because frequency means sweet FA training two days in a row.

Sunrise_Sunset

Thanks for the replies. One session for upper and lower hardly seems like enough though. I suppose I could go bodyweight exercises at home 2 days too. Better than nothing?

Alf Veedersane

Sunrise_Sunset wrote: »

Thanks for the replies. One session for upper and lower hardly seems like enough though. I suppose I could go bodyweight exercises at home 2 days too. Better than nothing?

It all depends on your circumstances. If you can only do 2 sessions, then don't worry about what you can't do but focus on what you can do.

If you can do some more at home, great

Sunrise_Sunset

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

It all depends on your circumstances. If you can only do 2 sessions, then don't worry about what you can't do but focus on what you can do.

If you can do some more at home, great

I'm hoping my new schedule is only temporary.
I'm really annoyed that I can only make it there twice a week now. I don't have a good track record with my self motivation at home.

Cill94

Sunrise_Sunset wrote: »

I'm hoping my new schedule is only temporary.
I'm really annoyed that I can only make it there twice a week now. I don't have a good track record with my self motivation at home.

I train plenty of people who can only do 2 sessions a week. Very feasible to make progress at least for a while.

You will make better progress if you can space them out to allow you to train full body both days.

new2tri19

cant be