Random Fitness Questions

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

the body can get used to one specific routine.

It can't.
That's a common myth.

Although if it just or arms, it's probably not great and could be worth changing for other reasons, including boredom.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

How do you mean changing the reps? Like 5x5 instead of 3x12?

I think I should probably do something more than dumbell lifts and a few core exercises like work on my core, back, legs and chest.

If you're doing 5x5 with 60kg one week and then 5x5 with 62.5 the next week, then you're changing the stimulus. If you do the same thing over, then that's one thing. But if you change any of the variables, then you're changing the stimulus so you're fundamentally changing what you're doing.

Doing the same movements doesnt mean you're necessarily doing the same thing over and over. A change in the exercises does help mentally but that's about it

ETA: changing the exercises to work more on weak links is another reason for changing

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I've looked before. I'll read through them again as they do have good info.

My issue with stuff like Starting Strength is that I'd be worried about hurting myself if I tried anything like a Clean or a Deadlift. Not manly I know.

My local is one of those dire uber-corporate places. I'm happy enough with my dumbell curls for now but I'm going to look at some other things I can be doing.

Thanks all.

You're missing out on a lot if you're only training arms. The big lifts can be daunting, and you're right to be wary of them without knowing the technique.

But there are a lot of resources online that show you how to do them, and any good programme you find is going to use the deadlift, squat, press etc.

If you just like working out then it doesn't really matter, but you'll make much better progress following a programme that has you training full body lifts.

ancapailldorcha wrote: »

I've looked before. I'll read through them again as they do have good info.

My issue with stuff like Starting Strength is that I'd be worried about hurting myself if I tried anything like a Clean or a Deadlift. Not manly I know.

My local is one of those dire uber-corporate places. I'm happy enough with my dumbell curls for now but I'm going to look at some other things I can be doing.

Thanks all.

A Hex bar is a good lower body work out and is low risk in terms of injury and is a good confidence builder. If your gym doesn't have one, find a new gym :pac:

Brian? wrote: »

You and that bleeding trap bar again!

its seriously underrated plus if a gym is busy there will always be one tucked in the back somewhere. Its something to do on day 1 before trying to get one's head around other lifts.

I can do press ups no problem following some YouTube video and it's 45 second press up , rest 15, 45 sec pike press rest 15 , some other exercises then 30 seconds archer press up right side , 30 seconds archer press up left side .
This is killing me I can't do the archer press ups I get pain in outside of my shoulder , even doing them on my knees is hard . Can do all the rest of video 45 seconds diamond press up I make it to 30 before dropping to knees .
Are archer press ups really hard or is it a flexiblity issues ? Should someone that can do 50 press ups straight be able to do some archers ? Not sure whether to continue with it and hope strength improves or I haven't the flexibility for it .
Thanks

new2tri19 wrote: »

I can do press ups no problem following some YouTube video and it's 45 second press up , rest 15, 45 sec pike press rest 15 , some other exercises then 30 seconds archer press up right side , 30 seconds archer press up left side .
This is killing me I can't do the archer press ups I get pain in outside of my shoulder , even doing them on my knees is hard . Can do all the rest of video 45 seconds diamond press up I make it to 30 before dropping to knees .
Are archer press ups really hard or is it a flexiblity issues ? Should someone that can do 50 press ups straight be able to do some archers ? Not sure whether to continue with it and hope strength improves or I haven't the flexibility for it .
Thanks

Archer push-ups are a harder push-up variations, so it's not surprising that you would get pain on these, but not on regular push-ups.

TBH someone who can do 50 straight push-ups really should be able to do at least a few archers, so I would recommend you consider:

1. Are you really doing 50 strict push-ups? Your entire body needs to touch the floor, without your hips sagging, and your arms should be at about a 45 degree angle. I'm inclined to think it's a form issue as 50 strict push-ups is fairly tough.

2. Are you doing any kind of pulling work? If all you do is push then you can develop an imbalance in the shoulder joint which will cause pain. You need to be doing just as many rows as you do push-ups. If you don't have equipment you could buy some bands or do rows off a chair or table.

And sometimes it might just be a movement that your shoulders may not enjoy, even with all the mobility work in the world.

I always work on shoulder mobility but dips kill my left shoulder.

I would avoid doing them for a while and work on shoulder mobility (as opposed to flexibility) and then go back and try but if you have to ditch them, so be it.

silverharp wrote: »

Ive seen the idea floating around that you should pull twice as much as you push, I don't know how cast iron that it and how much is bro science. I sort of do that with bench v seated row but I do the same no of Lat Pull down sets to OHP. Then I do about an hour and a half on the Concept 2 a week so there is an element of pulling there too

As far as I can tell it's a rule of thumb based on trying to minimise injuries that may occur from too much pressing (esp for the shoulders) and probably for posture reasons too, particularly if you work in an office.

It's a bit more nuanced than general movement patterns because a good balance will take into account the mechanics of the pulling and pushing movements being done.

But it always makes sense to balance the anterior with the posterior.

silverharp wrote: »

Ive seen the idea floating around that you should pull twice as much as you push, I don't know how cast iron that it and how much is bro science. I sort of do that with bench v seated row but I do the same no of Lat Pull down sets to OHP. Then I do about an hour and a half on the Concept 2 a week so there is an element of pulling there too

It’s a popular saying that has good intentions but zero evidence to support it.

I think it’s better to look at pulling in terms of strength standards as opposed to an arbitrary number of sets that you have to do.

For example, if you’re benching bodyweight then you should really be able to do a at least 5 chin-ups. Yes this is also an arbitrary standard, but I think it makes more sense and doesn’t have someone doing a load of potentially useless extra sets for the sake of it.

silverharp wrote: »

speaking of ratios , since July I do same amount of sets with bench press and OHP, weights are lower obviously, one day will be OHP and later in the week bench. i tend to find the OHP more taxing so at the moment I do it on a Sun and Bench on a Thursday. Is there any reason to favor one over the other?

If you're just training to get stronger, do both. They complement each other but one is a vertical press and the other is a horizontal press so the muscles recruited are different.

silverharp wrote: »

intuitively thats what I was going for, that doing it in 2 directions would be more even, I was doing a certain amount of OH stuff earlier in the year but it was more bags and balls and light bars. Im keeping it simple this time round, they do seem to compliment the bench. If I get through this month Ill be well ahead of March

The most fundamental upper body is horizontal press, vertical press, horizontal pull and vertical pull.
Could be Bench, OHP, Row, Pull up, or variations of any of them.

Everything after that is on some level accessory lifts.

Cill94 wrote: »

Archer push-ups are a harder push-up variations, so it's not surprising that you would get pain on these, but not on regular push-ups.

TBH someone who can do 50 straight push-ups really should be able to do at least a few archers, so I would recommend you consider:

1. Are you really doing 50 strict push-ups? Your entire body needs to touch the floor, without your hips sagging, and your arms should be at about a 45 degree angle. I'm inclined to think it's a form issue as 50 strict push-ups is fairly tough.

2. Are you doing any kind of pulling work? If all you do is push then you can develop an imbalance in the shoulder joint which will cause pain. You need to be doing just as many rows as you do push-ups. If you don't have equipment you could buy some bands or do rows off a chair or table.

Yeah I do rows aswell not as many , I would do 3 sets of 12 barbell rows with a heavy weight .

I'm doing strict push ups chest to ground , core tight but I just noticed something when I watched an archer push up tutorial that they start in a push up position with elbows tucked in . My push ups are with elbows almost 90 degrees like a T position. I can't believe I've been doing push ups wrong all these years .
I can do maybe 3-5 archer push ups each side at the moment fully rested but where they come in the workout video I don't manage any cause my shoulders seem to be finished after the pike and regular push up before trying them .