Random Fitness Questions

A question on Minimum required volume - I'm currently doing the following 3x per week and wondering whether this is enough volume to make strength increases (All at an RPE of 7-8). I've never enjoyed any training with a lot of volume so trying to get strength increases with the minimum effective amount -

Pull-ups (5x5)

Lat Pull down (5x5)

Seated Row (5x5)

Walking Lunges (5x5)

Hamstring Curl (3x5)

Seated leg curl (3x5)

My opinion about coldwater immersion is that it's something you can do if you enjoy it. Most of the claims I've heard about what it can do aren't scientifically supported. And we do have some science to show that it can have a detrimental effect on muscle adaptations. Depends on how much of it you're doing though. Until it's been sufficiently studied, placebo effect is never something you can rule out when it comes to any health intervention. What you believe often matters more than whether the thing really works.

People don't want to hear this, but if you're looking to boost longetivity, it mostly comes down to exercising regularly, having good nutrition and sleep, and socialising. Social class is also extremely indicative of lifespan, but harder to control.

Everything outside of that, whether it's fasting or coldwater therapy, is often just a distraction created to sell you a product.

That's helpful. My main aim was to pick exercises that I would enjoy so I cobbled together the above exercises purely based on enjoyment. I don't enjoy any Push exercises and only like doing single leg exercises. I know that this approach is not sustainable in the long run but my thinking is that it will allow me to build up some strength and a momentum in the gym over a few months. Once I've an acceptable level of strength built up i'll look at a more balanced programme focused on strength.

Appreciate the feedback. The logic I've been using is that my gym attendance has been flakey at best recently as I wasn't really enjoying it. To get some momentum going I was going to focus on just doing whatever I enjoy and hoping it will snowball from there.

I took the feedback from here on-board and tried to adjust so this mornings workout was:

• Trap Bar Deadlift - 5x3
• Hamstring Curl - 5x3
• Seated Leg Curl - 3x5
• V-Bar Pulldown - 3x5
• Seated Row - 3x5
• Chest Dips - 5x3

My plan is to count that as a full body workout and do it 3 times per week. I'm sure more volume is needed so I'll focus on sorting this in the coming weeks.

The work and adaptations you built up won't have just vanished because you took a few weeks off. I would start back at heaviest you can comfortably, and then over weeks build back to a position where you could hit a new 1RM.

Also this is just an aside, but it's my personal belief that taking a deload before testing a 1RM is not a good idea for a significant amount of people. It doesn't work well for me and many people I've coached. It also just doesn't make sense to go light and detrain your body right before you need it to be at its strongest. Some people can taper down and get a peaking effect, but it's easy to **** up and is probably only necessary for more advanced lifters.

Something as simple as slow, short runs, even with some walking rests if needed. Slowly increase pace and distance. 👍️

Agree with lots of above. I had knee problems from squatting years ago and a physio prescribed a good bit of IT band work. He also questioned my squat form after looking at a bodyweight squat in the clinic. I thought "nah, my squat is fine. I'll foam roll my IT band". All the foam rolling and mobility did little for me knee but low and behold, fixing my squat did wonders.

I'd just check a few things with your squat, namely how the weight is distributed across your foot. Squat slowly and if at any point during it, you notice that your weight is falling onto your front foot foot or inside foot, then you could have the cause.

Hell, even if it is your IT band, trying to do a third world squat every day for as long as you can manage should help somewhat.

Yup. IT band is fibrous tissue, sort of like a long tendon, only even less give. (tendons don’t have much give to begin with). You simply aren’t going to make it longer.

But the muscles connected to it can be loosened. Targeting the TFL helped me previously.

Not sure what you mean by inner quads. But quads don’t really affect the hip.

I like Cossacks as a hip stretch. But on the straight leg. For the squatting, I think thE body weight squat hold above is ideal. But aiming for more than 2 mins.

I’m not sure if you’re saying that you feel like squats have made your IT band tighter or that your IT band is tight and it’s limiting your ability to squat?

In either case, your IT band is meant to be tight and can’t have its length changed to any meaningful degree.

If you’re struggling with squat flexibility - simply practice it more. Holding on to some kind of pillar can help you stretch out in that bottom position.

I getcha. You’re probably just generally tight from inactivity. Lots of resources on YouTube for lower body flexibility/mobility that could help. Practicing the movements you want to be flexible in will be most efficient.

Storage of home equipment

Over the last 2 years thanks to Covid lockdowns etc I've accumulated a few small bits - few sets of dumbells, few kettlebells, a set of weights and bar (also known as a pump set according to google) and a mat. At the moment they are thrown higgledy-piggledy under the stairs and taken out when I want to do a workout (usually 3 mornings a week). I don't really want to leave them out when not in use, prefer to have them put away after. Any ideas for storage, preferably under stairs.

cheers, are you saying you would have a preference for working with a weight you can do 10 reps of over 5?

thats a plan.