Gym And Supplement Discussion

[Tangles]

hey Mike - yes literally, one kneecap in a jar above the fridge & the other I wasnt allowed to keep. No replacements, simply no kneecaps (double patellectomy) with wedges anchoring the patella tendons to the tibia (high tibial tubercle osteotomy), after one dozen knee surgeries.

Hit the gym again this morning, didnt feel up for it but had a good workout. Every second session Im finding the weight for seated cable leg press is ok, now ready to try 110kg next session, up from 40 when I started 3.5weeks ago. No lingering soreness from the patella tendons, so pretty much Im in a good zone right now - No knee pain for the 1st time in over 20yrs!!! Woot!

Will add in roman deadlifts next session tomorrow morning, thanks for the suggestion Joe.

edit - oh, should report that the BCAA powder makes my post-shake taste pretty bad!

[GTR_JOEY]

yeah straight bcaa's taste like rubbish...my pre/during workout one is flavoured (purple wrathe brand)

and the post workout one i have with protein and carbs so cant taste it that much, though you can still taste the crapness a little bit lol

P.S. roman deadlifts are the bomb, do a few sets and ur hamstrings will be torn for a good couple of days

best tip is to test and adjust, u really have to feel your way through the exercise and focus on using ur hamies, is really good for ur grip too

Edited January 16, 2012 by GTR_JOEY

[Birds]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Props to Husky33 for recognising the constraints I wanted to stay within and alternative suggestions/paths around these. I tried deadlifts without gloves for the sake of it, and held the bar closer to my fingers rather than in the palm (good spot there Dani Boi) - full set of 10 @ 100kg. The rests between sets were also much shorter, as I was working in with someone, so I think this is a win solution until I reach the next plateau of weight-grip issues. I used to gym without gloves, but the calluses became way too big - my skin is seriously soft.

To the people who suggested it, I want to avoid mixed grip where I can. I know it's superior, but I do like the feeling of pronated much better. Like the gloves, I might switch down the track, but this habit might be harder to break. I might give hook grip a go, however, Kieran/Husky...I put my hands in this position at rest and whilst I can see the discomfort, the grip benefits are obvious too.

I will also try sticking deadlifts at the start of a work out...if it interferes with the other exercises too much then I'll swap it back. I like to use it as a finisher because it is a relatively new exercise for me.

Speaking of deadlifts, did half a dozen sets tonight for the first time in a fortnight

Last 3 sets were

170kg x 3

140x10

130x10

No straps

Impressive. I'll hopefully be joining you soon

[Birds]

Birds - you've mentioned many times that you are not after outright strength, so I don't see why you wouldn't use straps.

sets of 10 on deadlifts are farking hard.

since you've already ruled out all the best options ie, alternate grip, no gloves but with chalk, straps are the only answer if your insisting on sets of 10.

Quick question.

do you do Bent over BB rows or chins?

if so, what set x reps and what weight?

Might try the chalk if my hands get too slippery without gloves, or straps when I face grip problems again. I did use paper towels in my grip which did a nice job of keeping things dry.

I do neither of these exercises, lat pulldowns (V grip and behind neck wide grip) and seated/compound row have always been my back exercises of choice. Chin ups if there's an ego competition on at a party lol. If I was to start gym all over again I'd probably go freeweights but the pulldowns have done me good and they are still a compound exercise.

The weights for these exercises are typically 2x10x180lb, 2x10x190lb, and 2x10x200lb...all pretty relaxed (I haven't stepped up these weights for years). I have done 5x250lb on the sixth set just for the sake of testing strength when bored, but for now I'm playing catch up with my chest and I'm not a fan of the gorilla look.

[GTR_JOEY]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Props to Husky33 for recognising the constraints I wanted to stay within and alternative suggestions/paths around these. I tried deadlifts without gloves for the sake of it, and held the bar closer to my fingers rather than in the palm (good spot there Dani Boi) - full set of 10 @ 100kg. The rests between sets were also much shorter, as I was working in with someone, so I think this is a win solution until I reach the next plateau of weight-grip issues. I used to gym without gloves, but the calluses became way too big - my skin is seriously soft.

To the people who suggested it, I want to avoid mixed grip where I can. I know it's superior, but I do like the feeling of pronated much better. Like the gloves, I might switch down the track, but this habit might be harder to break. I might give hook grip a go, however, Kieran/Husky...I put my hands in this position at rest and whilst I can see the discomfort, the grip benefits are obvious too.

I will also try sticking deadlifts at the start of a work out...if it interferes with the other exercises too much then I'll swap it back. I like to use it as a finisher because it is a relatively new exercise for me.

Impressive. I'll hopefully be joining you soon

cheers mate,

get that grip in order and ull be there in no time

[Tangles]

Had a leg only day today (and for me thats a big thing!).

Found roman deadlifts to be not so good - patela tendons click and lock even though its only a slight knee movement; probably better off doing straight leg deadlifts.

Bit weird considering I can now push 110kg seated cable leg press (5x10 reps) + 5x15 100kg. In this instance best to listen to my body on what I can/cant do.

Added in reverse seated cable leg extension (leg retraction I guess?) after my hamstring curls. 45mins leg workout, 5min gut & 10min bike seems good.

edit: oh, and adding in a little extra dextrose monohydrate takes away the dodgy BCAA powder taste - post shake tastes goooood!!!

[Tangles]

Interesting article on preworkout supplements. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2012-01-17/pre-workout-supplements/3774122

I started my supps last week, and take 5g of Jack3d preworkout. Gives me awesome focus, and have the energy to workout hard for over 90mins. No tingles or 'weirdness' for me, just good mental focus.

Added in leg extensions today - awesome!! Very happy with that.

[KezR33]

f**k all that shit. If you're eating properly you don't need extra "energy" at the gym.

[Trozzle]

f**k all that shit. If you're eating properly you don't need extra "energy" at the gym.

I disagree, for someone such as myself - if I eat "properly" I feel like a lethargic bucket of shit at the gym. I find I'll feel really sick like I've drunk too much milk or something if I've eaten anything within ~5 or so hours of a hard "push" session. Unfortunately this also has the side effect of causing me to feel short of energy sometimes.

I'm a big hit and miss deal when it comes to eating for energy

[R31Nismoid]

Same - Being a shift worker sometimes i dunno whether it's day/night breakfast/dinner.

So a shake etc definitely helps to make up the difference. Don't use any "pre workout" stuff though, at best maybe just a coffee, biggest issue for me is getting off my a$$ and actually going. Once I'm there it's all gung ho!

[Tangles]

f**k all that shit. If you're eating properly you don't need extra "energy" at the gym.

the energy comes from within - no drink can give you "extra" energy.

Its the FOCUS that it affords you that is worth while.

Since taking jack3d my session length has increased by over 50% (90min weight workouts instead of 50mins +10 on bike) and I literally have to tell myself thats enough.

My focus on each repetition is greater than what it was - I find it works for me

[KezR33]

So by focus you mean self-disicpline.

[Tangles]

No, I dont mean self-discipline, moreso greater self discipline than what you would normally achieve.

Focus, as "in the moment", "clarity", "concentrating on one aspect of your environment" (in this instance your current/next repition, the extra 2 sets you are about to tackle)

I guess its hard to explain. The Arginine improves blood flow and nutrient delivery to muscles, helping deliver the Creatine and Beta Analine to the muscles to help reduce fatigue & increase endurance; its the caffeine and DMAA that provide a stimulant effect. As a whole Ive found it works in a positive way for me in the short time Ive been using it. No side effects for me, and Im enjoying my gym sessions more than ever.

[M34N-R]

Yeah im the same, after a long draining day of work i need that little extra oomph! Used to b a massive fan of jack3d help my smash all my workouts, but I found that near the end of the tub It wasn't hitting as hard! Now I take 1MR! Holy shit!!! I feel like I'm on something illegal! I swear to god I have ants crawling all over me for the first 10 minutes! Lol!

[KezR33]

I dunno. I'm currently focusing on very low rep (trying to improve my 1RM) stuff at the moment. I know what I can and can't lift, if I can make one more rep or not, no amount of "focus" (still not sure what you mean here) is going to grant me any additional strength. I don't disbelieve that the stuff can make you feel better, feel more energized, but when you get right down to actually lifting more, I can't see it actually helping me. tbh its usually when I feel like shit and expect a horrible workout that I surprise myself and do my best.

I also really dislike something that over time will make me feel like shit if I don't take it.

Edited January 21, 2012 by KezR33

[M34N-R]

I train in sets of 8, 8, 6-8, 6 or 4-6! I'd consider that as low reps! I've got pritty much nothing but good things to say about pre-work outs! I normally do 2months on 1month off with them, I don't feel like shit at all! But I definitely lift "harder" when I'm on them! Aka get right into it! In the end it's your choice and they do cost money but definitely worth there weight in gold in my opinion.

[KezR33]

At the moment my starting working sets are 1 reps. You warm up to the work sets, then do 2-3 heavy 1 rep working sets say; 15kg-10kg-5kg lighter than your max. Then one, sometimes two big heavy lifts (usually a PB) followed by a 3-5 rep cool off set.

Afterwards you do like 3-4 assistance excercises which you do 3 sets till failure, usually 5-10reps depending on the lift.

It's the Progessive Poundage Program develeoped by PTC. Works wonders.

[Dani Boi]

That sounds like a strength training program, I thought your goals was to put on some weight and size?

Oh and Pre-workout supps are pretty good, they do help somewhat. Some people though can't do a workout without them, those are the stim junkies lol

Edited January 21, 2012 by Dani Boi

[Husky33]

the energy comes from within - no drink can give you "extra" energy.

energy is calories right?

And sugar is calories right?

So therefore a sugary drink is giving me extra energy yeah?

[GTR_JOEY]

sugary drink will give you an energy spike, it will not last very long as sugar is the most simple form of carbohydrates...then you will come down