Gym And Supplement Discussion

[God_speed]

Yeah Birds. Going back a couple of years, my sticking point was always breaking the bar off the floor. Now, this is where that article I posted comes into play - I believe my hips were too low to begin with. I made an adjustment to the setup based on this idea, late last week, and the movement felt substantially more efficient. It'll take a few weeks for me to adjust before I can try for a near maximum weight again using the "new" form, but I think I'm onto something.

While my deads are going well and bench is also good (with DBs anyway), squat has gone backwards. Really not happy about that. Damn sitting down all day at work doesn't help.

[Birds]

There's a million ways to do a deadlift, but the heart of the movement is that it's predominantly a back exercise and keeping that in mind will definitely help to lift stronger.

Some people start the a deadlift in the squat position and turn it into more of a squat movement, reducing leverage and efficiency when the weight is sitting in front of the body rather than above it. To raise the hips and keep the back straight requires a degree of hamstring flexibility, so I think people guilty of turning it into a squat either lack this or try to protect their back by making it a squat (following the old/flawed "don't lift with your back" adage).

Some people tend to complicate the movement by turning what is actually a simple, automatic motion into too many steps...and overthink it...causing their body not to work in one fluid motion. When I've taught people deadlifts (including my 60 year old mother), the golden rule I've told them to focus on is keeping the shoulders back and stick the chest out - this simple process forces the rest of the body into a favorable position for efficient lifting that they don't even know they are in. I do keep an eye on the hips to make sure they aren't sitting too low and making it a squat, but everyone is different here with how their body is setup to lift.

[Birds]

I've had something similar myself; it seems whenever my squat is going well or I'm making PBs, the deadlift is at a standstill or slightly back, and vice versa. Sometimes I put that down to tiredness / session overlap.

They do use much the same muscles, so not uncommon for one to impact the other.

[God_speed]

True, but for me I know I've got some mobility issues (e.g. ankles) that are interfering, plus tight hamstrings. It's throwing the whole operation off.

[D.I.Y. Mik]

When i was younger, and fitter, i worked as a painter. We did a highrise in the city.

My personal record was 2x 20l drums (40-50kg, paint is heavy) running up 9 floors.

Now im lazy as sht, and would probly have a heart attack running 100m.

[blah_blah]

Anyone going to the Arnold Classic in a few weeks?

Phil heath, Jay Cutler, Arnold, Ronnie etc....

[Birds]

Yeah I'll be there with Leesh

[-FIGJAM-]

would like to but not

[blah_blah]

Yeah I'll be there with Leesh

Let me know what booth you are at so I can come for an autograph

[The Bogan]

As my back seems better after a rest I am starting the 531 again, I have knocked up a program inspired by Jim Wendler, its got some fluff supersets and some other vanity exercises, but all in all I like it.

I've posted up the excel program where you just enter PB weight and reps into a yellow box and then your 1RM into another yellow box, this will fill in the program for Mil Press, Dead's, Clean and Press, Bench and Squat.

The clean and press day is like a rest day, I just focus on form and a strict press.

The fluff is for you to fill in.

The percentages are from the 531 book.

Do what you want with it.

It takes about 1hr to get through the training taking rest breaks of 3 min for the heavy sets and 1 or 2 min for the warm ups and the fluff, I usually take 10 minutes to warm up which also involves the first 3 warm up sets.

Training 531 - Copy.xlsx

[God_speed]

Enjoyed 5/3/1 and made some good increases on a couple of PBs. I particularly noticed that by pushing myself on the OHP it benefited my bench pressing. I also like how you can opt for the BBB (boring but big) and not much about with the accessory stuff too much if you're short on time.

[The Bogan]

I have found it to be the simplest program for getting stronger and the "thick" look, I have got time to kill every arvo so I like to throw in some fluff to give my vanity some time, the fluff does help with the getting a bit of the cu t look.

I also feel the clean and press is one of the best exersices out there, strangely hardly anyone does them.

[God_speed]

Yeah I tried out just some hang cleans for a while and obviously I was shocking at them while starting out, but I could feel how they were hitting the traps. And it's good to work more oly-style explosiveness into the training too I believe. I don't want to end up with good size, but just really slow, and tight with flexibility issues. That explosiveness is pretty important in all the compound movements anyway hey.

[The Bogan]

I need to work more on my flexibility, my hamstrings need some serious work.

For years I would work on my flexibility for the same amount of time as my strength training, sadly I backed of on it for a few years and I am now paying for it.

Over the last couple of weeks I have got back into working on it, foam rolling, rolling around on a cricket ball and stretching whenever I watch the TV.

I'm 50 in a couple of months, if I want to keep lifting (and sleeping without back pain) I need to sort this out, other wise injuries will keep coming fast and furious.

[God_speed]

Yeah Mark don't we all... Especially those of us who have a desk job, sitting down all day wreaks havoc on the posterior chain - weak glutes and lower back, tight hammies, poor ankle mobility, hunched shoulders, etc

Foam rolling is excellent, and I've tried the lacrosse ball as well. The relief afterwards is almost worth the pain of rolling...

Luckily I don't get back pain when sleeping. How do you go with lower back intensive exercises like the DL, RDLs, bent over rows, good mornings?

[Birds]

I love the pain of foam rolling, like a deep tissue massage

Never used to like being pushed and prodded in that way, used to hate massages too, but it makes the muscles and joints in the posterior chain feel so good after some tenderising and a few cracks

[No Crust Racing]

I had good results with a foam roller on my SIJ.

[TM7GTR]

What are peoples opinions on here about the ideal program to re start your training after some time off due to travelling and a surgical procedure?

My gut tells me something like a starting strength program, although my knowledge tells me it may be better to ease into it with something less joint intensive rather than stretch out a lower weight phase of a strength program.

[No Crust Racing]

Stretching and BW resistence training.

[Trozzle]

maybe a 5x5 rotating 3 days plus 1 rest, keeping it simple with only a main lift (squat, bench, dead) accompanied by another smaller complimenting compound for each session? So like Day 1 = squat + lunges; Day 2 = bench + dips; Day 3 = deadlifts + pull ups

start low, increase 5-10kg (or less) depending on exercise and current weight.