Random Fitness Questions

IvoryTower wrote: »

Do you count the weight of a hex bar when deadlifting? a quick google says 25kg, roll with that? IT doesn't matter really, just nice to know when noting in diary

Yup. I ran with 25kg as well but turned out it was 32kg. But its only an accessory so the progression is the most relevant number.

IvoryTower wrote:

I'm a creature of habit, I love doing the same exercises pretty much all the time with a few extra bits thrown in when I've time. They are squat, pull up, DL/RDL, push ups. Do you think i'm missing out on anything badly? I'm going to add calves as I need it for running health

Single leg work as well. I've found it beneficial in addressing imbalances. My training usually revolves around compound + variation + isolation. Tempo work as well both for increased time under tension and to work on positioning.

IvoryTower wrote:

Would lowering reps & sets while upping weight be a simple form of periodization for the hobby gym goer. EG: do 5 x 5 for a few weeks, then 5 x 4, 5 x 3, upping the weight as you go along but certainly when you drop a set. Did I just make that up? OR maybe 3 x 10, progressing to 3 x 5 over 3 months

There are different ways to progress and some of those are framed by goals. But unless you're training for powerlifting, you won't really need to go below 3-5 reps until testing, if testing.

yes all the time, watch this, tuck pelvis under first - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sy-GvRVC8Nk&t=2s

Where would I get two bolts that thread into the ends of an Olympic bar? Thanks.

Cadence Uninterested Slugger wrote: »

I'm pretty new to trying to keep fit so sorry if this is a silly question.

I feel a bit of a pinch in my lower back if I do push ups or try to plank, is this normal when starting out or is my form likely incorrect?

You're probably letting your hips sag.

Try bracing your stomach muscles and squeeze your árse muscles hard and that should help.

Are you training for physique or strenght?

IvoryTower wrote: »

Strength

Okay, thanks for responding.

I think for anyone starting off on the road of strength there are certain points of importance

Theres a host of info online, as someone who started off 22 years ago focusing on strength i would highly recommend mark rippetoes 'starting strength' as an appropriate starting point.
It focuses on primary lifts (compounds) and progression / progressive overload.

Fornme the biggest game changer was routine ie sticking to a set pattern of days and not missing them, i missed nights out and trainned whilst on holiday, never let myself have an excuse.

If you chose to follow the starting strength routine then follow it to a T, do not start adding in accessory exercises as these will only interfere with muscular adaptation in the strength context.

Another important factor in strength gain is diet, please do not attempt to 'get ripped' or lose weight when on a strength training routine.
This will severely limit your ability to train hard each session. You need to eat in a caloric surplus to make decent progression. Thats is the.reality. The only way someone would increase their strength whilst dropping body weight would be to run a steroid like tren and i would highly advise you never consider this.

Also important to note, the results on the day of training are not the results. What you do each session should be seen as part of the progression to yoir end goal. Not getting pumped or sore does not mean you are not gaining strength. You are not training to be a bodybuilder but trust me if you donstick yo a routine and progress well you'll be very surprised.

Give starting strength a try for few months, be patient with it. Youve nothing to lose

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Try contracting your lats a bit harder as though you're pulling your elbows into your sides. They should really stay in place throughout the movement.

Agreed, you need to flex your lats to keep your upper back in the correct position as this will have a negative effect on hip flexion at the bottom of the movement

Acey10 wrote: »

Hey any advice for one knee slightly turning in during the back squat?

Also my shoulders slightly round during deadlift but my back is flat.. Is this really bad?

Thanks!

Work on glute strength to start. Also, be more proactive about screwing your feet into the ground outwards as a cue to externally rotate your hips. Squatting with mini band around your legs just above/below knees can help reinforce it.

IvoryTower wrote: »

I warm up for ages for my overall work out but not specifically for my squat. I'm a runner first and foremost so only squatting 65kg at the moment, I'd say the highest I ever squatted with full depth is only about 80ish. I'm just building back up to that. I'll do an empty bar and light set beforehand, as the weight has been light I haven't really felt the need to. Getting tougher now though


Edit: that's 65kg in every set no build up

I am a bit paranoid about my warm ups for squats. Possibly overdo it even. Would be interested to hear from others on that front!

I would be lifting the same as yourself or close enough (1RM is 100 so typically working around the 70-85kg mark) I would usually do

No bar:
10 wide stance, 5 tempo
10 medium stance - 5 tempo
10 narrow stance
Glute bridges x10, frog pumps x 10, glute bridges single leg amrap, glute kickbacks x 10


Bar x8 - usually do these at a very slow eccentric tempo and pause at the bottom and explode up
40 x8
50 x5
60 x5
70 x3

Working sets

Acey10 wrote: »

I'll try put my feet wider next time.
It's every deadlift... Maybe I should lower the weight.
Thanks

On squat its more likely to happen if I widen my stance more so just play around with stance width but work on screwing tour feet into the ground to exert the force that should keep them out. But also could do with strengthening hip muscles.

As for deadlift, drop back the weight and see when it starts and take it from there

Deano7788 wrote: »

I’d do about 15 minutes of mobility work beforehand but in terms of warm up sets I try to find a balance between warming up enough and not wasting energy, with most of them being only singles. Normally the jumps decrease as I go up in weight and normally have my last warm up @0-12.5kg below my top or working sets.

Typical example would be what I did last night working up to a top single.

Bar x8
70 x5
120 x3
160 x1
195 x1
220 x1
237.5 x1

Then my top single was 247.5kg. Up to 160 generally wouldn’t change and then I’d tweak the last few depending on what I’m working up to.

Bench would be roughly similar in number of sets, give or take a set depending on the weight, just with smaller jumps, while deadlift would be fairly minimal with big enough jumps until I’m over 200, but will have always squatted beforehand so not exactly cold going in.

Thinly-veiled "look at how strong I am"

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Thinly-veiled "look at how strong I am"

:pac:. I always have my bench to bring me back down to earth :pac::o.

I can't seem to progress my bench press, either dumbell or barbell, incline or flat. I made a small increase around 2 months ago, around the time I started taking creatine and eating more, but have completely plateaued again. Prior to that, I was stuck on the same weight for probably 4 - 5 months. I'm making gains in everything else, but my chest is really stubborn.

I train my chest once a week, switching between dumbells and barbells. I mix it up with flys, pushups, drop sets, and other exercises. I keep a log, take my creatine, watch my ratios, eat a calorie surplus and have a training partner so am able to push to failure, yet no progress. I've watched a few videos lately focusing on technique, and have started really focusing on pulling my shoulder blades down, pinching them together, yet it hasn't helped (so far). It's very frustrating.

The odd thing is that I still get DOMS in my chest, so I'm clearly working the muscles, I'm just not able to lift any heavier. Any suggestions?

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

Have you increased your pressing volume?

As in the number of reps?

SuprSi wrote: »

As in the number of reps?

I'll put it like this: if you're doing the same sets and reps once a week with much the same weight, then how would you be developing the ability to press more weight.

More pressing across the week will allow for increased volume (sets by reps).

And like Deano asked, what would a typical bench workout be?

SuprSi wrote: »

My typical barbell/dumbell workout consists of 4 sets of up to 8 reps - if I hit 8 reps with the last set, I increase the weight. I usually do flat, incline and decline, followed by flys or some other variation. With the barbell I'm currently unable to get beyond 4 reps in the last set, whereas with the dumbells I'm getting around 6 - 7, but stuck there. To be fair, I don't think I've changed the 4 set/8 rep combination in ages, though will throw in occasional drop sets. And yes, I will always go to failure with support being provided once I fail.

So you've been trying the same weight on the bar and can't get past 4 reps on last set for a couple of weeks?

How many more will you get next week given that you'll have done little more pressing in the meantime.

Going to failure isn't an issue if you're training bench once a week. It's more important if you're training bench more than once a week where going to failure one day may reduce what you can do the second bench day that week. You probably need to increase your frequency. It doesn't have to be a second day of normal benching. It can be variations, e.g. wide grip or close grip and not to failure on either day.

Alf Veedersane wrote: »

So you've been trying the same weight on the bar and can't get past 4 reps on last set for a couple of weeks?

How many more will you get next week given that you'll have done little more pressing in the meantime.

Going to failure isn't an issue if you're training bench once a week. It's more important if you're training bench more than once a week where going to failure one day may reduce what you can do the second bench day that week. You probably need to increase your frequency. It doesn't have to be a second day of normal benching. It can be variations, e.g. wide grip or close grip and not to failure on either day.

Yes, but more than a couple of weeks. Next week, considering recent form, I'm not expecting to get more. I've always worked under the assumption that as long as I'm pushing myself, even if it's just once a week, I should see improvements, and I thought the fact I keep getting DOMS suggested I'm doing something right, but building extra strength or size doesn't seem to be one of those things.

As for a back workout, like with chest, I do it once a week. I usually do 3 days of weights (2 cardio), covering all the major muscle groups, similarly with 4 sets of 8 reps.

Yes, similar programme for all major muscle groups, to failure, once a week. And yes, I do those 3 big lifts in one session.

So the general consensus seems to be that I should do a smaller group of exercises per muscle group, but more than once a week, with different combinations of set/reps on each day? I very much appreciate the advice