Anyone here bench, lift weights, etc?

[Captain Shoggoth]

Originally Posted by TRENCHLORD

@Tiger; That's almost 3x your bodyweight man!!!

@Marine; Quit talking like that, it's making me want to pig out on porkchops lol.

@Captain; You might do better going something like
Monday-Deadlifts, other pulls (pullups, rows, ect..)
Tuesday- rest
Wed- Bench, other pushs (military, dips)
Thurs-rest
Fri- Squats and other leg stuff
Sat- abs and arms
Sun-rest

of course if you're young and your split is working, then maybe run an alternating split cycle every few weeks or switch at the end of every month

Cheers Trench. I'm still on my current split for the next few weeks and was wondering what to switch over to. This seems a lot more intuitive and gives me more rest days, so awesome

[Uncreative123]

Originally Posted by USMarine75

This thread is F'ing killing me. I have 5 weeks left before I'm supposed to lift again. I did a light maintenance workout last night for shoulders and I'm curious to see how much mass/strength loss I can prevent, or if perhaps a change of pace even helps me break through some plateaus... hell it will probably do some good for my old parts. I tried doing the Weider pre-exhaustion technique that way even though I was only shoulder pressing 30s I could try and still get something out of it.

The worst part is I'm still eating like I'm lifting... aaaargh. And I like eating. I'm trying the leangains concept eating at 1,4 and 8 (workout at 6)... I know the dude mentions black coffee is OK, but I've been getting through the IF period with a 1/2 bottle of G2 low cal (40 cal, 8g carb) and a med DnD coffee with milk... not sure if that is too much intake for the IF period.

Ditch the G2 and switch to Powerade zero. It's not as good, but it's definitely not bad and it's less carbs and cal. No milk in the coffee. Milk has too much carbs and protein which could spike your insulin levels, especially if you're having other stuff during the fast. Better to err on the conservative side. I would ditch all of that and do straight BCAA's so you can have peace of mind. It'll be cheaper in the end as well. If you're caffeine-addicted like me, try ON's BCAA powder that has caffeine in it. It's pretty tasty and will give you the boost your looking for.

[highlordmugfug]

Looking at the Marine fitness test (not joining any military organization, just working on getting in shape).

Didn't get to try the run, but after a bunch of other exercising today: 55 crunches in 2 minutes, and 5 pullups in one session (without releasing the bar). Not bad for now, but I can make it better.



I just copied the section above this from my facebook status about it. I've been doing push-ups with my legs up on the top of the back of the couch, curls, running/jogging/walking 1-7 miles every day or so, pullups, leg presses, lat curls, bench press (with dumbbells since there's no bar at the gym in the apartment complex), crunches (with and without extra weight on my chest) for the last few weeks.



I'm really just trying to put on some more muscle and get a bigger chest (it's working pretty well so far, I can already see a difference in my arms).

[Tiger]

Originally Posted by TRENCHLORD

@Tiger; That's almost 3x your bodyweight man!!!

Yea, Ill get photo/video of the big event in the next few months or so I hope.

Amazon.com: Periodization Training for Sports - 2nd Edition (9780736055598): Tudor Bompa, Michael Carrera: Books

^ That book really helped me work out the mixing links for what I wanted my body to be able to do and helped me start training to get smaller but stronger and I recommend it to anyone who wants a well written text for any sport.

It may not look as cool as huge ripped muscles but its pretty satisfying to run ultra's and still outlift all the jacked dudes in my division.

[highlordmugfug]

Originally Posted by highlordmugfug

Looking at the Marine fitness test (not joining any military organization, just working on getting in shape).

Didn't get to try the run, but after a bunch of other exercising today: 55 crunches in 2 minutes, and 5 pullups in one session (without releasing the bar). Not bad for now, but I can make it better.



I just copied the section above this from my facebook status about it. I've been doing push-ups with my legs up on the top of the back of the couch, curls, running/jogging/walking 1-7 miles every day or so, pullups, leg presses, lat curls, bench press (with dumbbells since there's no bar at the gym in the apartment complex), crunches (with and without extra weight on my chest) for the last few weeks.



I'm really just trying to put on some more muscle and get a bigger chest (it's working pretty well so far, I can already see a difference in my arms).

I just realized what I left out of my post
I'm also planning on adding dumbbell shoulder presses to what I've been doing. Are there any suggestions as to other exercises I should/could be doing? I can't do anything that requires a bench press bar right now.

[TRENCHLORD]

Originally Posted by highlordmugfug

I just realized what I left out of my post
I'm also planning on adding dumbbell shoulder presses to what I've been doing. Are there any suggestions as to other exercises I should/could be doing? I can't do anything that requires a bench press bar right now.

Looks like you're already doing the right stuff.
The one thing I might suggest adding is some varying forms/angles of leg-raises. Those really seem to tie-in the upper and lower body which makes it safer/easier to safely do all those potentially back hurting excersises (even curls can be a back hurter without that lower/inner ab strength).

Laying flat on the floor/bench and bringing locked straight legs up as high as possible, all the way to the point that the hips come off the floor, then only release until the point where your tailbone touches barely.
So basically the legs go back and forth between the 10:00 and 12:00 angles.
After you get the hang of that you can progress to letting the feet go all the way back down to the floor for each rep.
Then you can incorperate angles (the best of which is to lay backwards on a decline bench with the head up by that thing normaly used to hook the feet through. This way, when your legs are all the way up top there will be more gravity resistance.
Hanging leg and knee raises from a pullup bar are another great tie-in.
Just make sure to attempt that complete hip roll-up contraction.

monkey-bar pullups (palms facing each other and hands just barely outside shoulder-width) are great and also allow for doing the pullup and knee-raise simotaneously, and bringing the knees straight up to chest level and leaning the whole body back a bit actually brings the lower lats, lower abs, and obliques, and everything into it really.

[Tiger]

Gotta squat and deadlift, be not afraid.

[USMarine75]

Originally Posted by Uncreative123

Ditch the G2 and switch to Powerade zero. It's not as good, but it's definitely not bad and it's less carbs and cal. No milk in the coffee. Milk has too much carbs and protein which could spike your insulin levels, especially if you're having other stuff during the fast. Better to err on the conservative side. I would ditch all of that and do straight BCAA's so you can have peace of mind. It'll be cheaper in the end as well. If you're caffeine-addicted like me, try ON's BCAA powder that has caffeine in it. It's pretty tasty and will give you the boost your looking for.

I'm drinking my last coffee with milk right now! (Of course we're talking about just during the IF period... I mean, I'm not crazy) And I'll ditch the shots of mocha that I have them throw in too lol.

I forget the name of the BCAA that I have but it's terrible. It comes in a white can and I got the flavor-free one to mix with my preworkout drink and with a G2 afterwards (I do the 1pm, 4pm, workout, 8pm split). But it wont mix with cold fluids so the white powder just floats on top and you end up chugging it raw... blech!. Does ON BCAA taste half decent?

I'm also a complete dumbass... it's hard to tell a Marine not to do something. So technically I blame my doctor. I flatbenched anyways on Wed and I kept it light... I did 135x20, 185x10, 205x10, 225x9. Used the smith in case anything ruptured. Nothing yet! I figure as long as I stay away from back excercises that really activate and stretch the intercostal (rib) muscle that had ruptured on the 5th I'll be ok. Yesterday I had to skip my back workout, but I still did biceps/forearms... I have a preacher bench, so I figured that would take any stress off the obliques.

Anyone have ideas for a light back workout that doesnt engage the intercostal muscles? FWIW I blew it out doing a bent over DB row.

Oh well if you don't hear from me for awhile its because I'm back in the hospital...

[TRENCHLORD]

Originally Posted by USMarine75

FWIW I blew it out doing a bent over DB row.

The one time I tweeked my back (I think I hit a nerve in my lower back) I was doing one-arm dumbell rows and that gym sucked for only having up to 70 pound bells, so instead of pulling it straight up near my waist I was trying to make it harder by taking it out to the side almost like a one-arm side lateral and WHAMMM.

Unlike my little ab pull of 03 where I never felt anything bad happen ATM,
This back nerve tweek (again, I'm just guessing here) was instant and flooring. I could barely make it to the car and drive myself home.
What I think really happened was that my opposite side abdominals just relaxed at the wrong time allowing my lower back to twist funny or something.

Anyways, since that moment in 01, I've never done one-arm rows since, not even with good bracing.
I just stick to the barbell so as to not take a chance of twisting wrongly again.
If doing dumbells I even go two-armed and pull slightly up and out at the same time.

As for a back excersise that doesn't involve the intercoastals ,
maybe something upper-back like laying stomach down on tall flat or even incline bench (insert jokes and more here) and doing light dumbell two-armed lateral raises.

[highlordmugfug]

Originally Posted by Tiger

Gotta squat and deadlift, be not afraid.

I would if I had a bar right now, but I don't have access to one.

[Infamous Impact]

I finished my Smolov cycle last week and raised my squat from 320 to 380. Today I deadlifted for the first time in over 2 months and it felt amazing! My last pull before starting Smolov was 360x5. Today I went up by 20 pound increments and pulled 4 plates before deciding my spine had taken enough. I'm hoping to hit 405x5 soon, I love the back lifts!

[AngstRiddenDreams]

Me benching 235x5




He only helps me lift on the very last rep when i rack it.

[Captain Shoggoth]

Originally Posted by USMarine75

I forget the name of the BCAA that I have but it's terrible. It comes in a white can and I got the flavor-free one to mix with my preworkout drink and with a G2 afterwards (I do the 1pm, 4pm, workout, 8pm split). But it wont mix with cold fluids so the white powder just floats on top and you end up chugging it raw... blech!. Does ON BCAA taste half decent?

I've got a 500g bag of unflavoured BCAA too, they all suck dude I mentioned it a couple of days ago, Uncreative123 recommended the Intek and ON (Amino Energy, the ON one is) BCAAs, I can't wait to finish this bag and get some of the ON stuff

Originally Posted by AngstRiddenDreams

Me benching 235x5




He only helps me lift on the very last rep when i rack it.

strong armpit hair/10

[AngstRiddenDreams]

wut??

Yeah, they call me Sasquatch.

[TRENCHLORD]

Originally Posted by AngstRiddenDreams

Me benching 235x5

Actually, your positioning and balance are great.
If you were to do the exact same thing, except pause for a second at the bottom and then explode up without hitching the shoulders (which you already don't hitch, so that's good), and instead of going up to straight arm lockout, stop just an inch or two before lockout and squeeze for a half second before re-lowereing.

This will mean that you might only get 3 or 4 reps instead of 5, but the muscle's time under load will be longer and more time is spent with the muscles in a position of mechanical disadvantage, where the 235 feels the heaviest to the body.
Bottom line is that you will feel it more and that will develop and advance you quicker.
And after doing reps this way for a few weeks (on many excersises actually) it will feel even easier to pump them out in the rep test style of constant bar motion if needed.

[the hittmann]

I will join in on the fun. I'm 18, 180lbs @10% bf.

Bench 315
Squat 425
Deadlift 455

Been lifting for 4 yrs, happy to give advice/ answer questions.

[Murmel]

My dumbbell bench has stalled for a few weeks now. Would you guys recommend switching to barbell for a while? The reason I stopped doing barbell was because it hurt my left shoulder, but now it doesn't hurt anymore so I guess I could give it a shot.

[Tiger]

Originally Posted by Captain Shoggoth

I've got a 500g bag of unflavoured BCAA too, they all suck dude I mentioned it a couple of days ago, Uncreative123 recommended the Intek and ON (Amino Energy, the ON one is) BCAAs, I can't wait to finish this bag and get some of the ON stuff





strong armpit hair/10

The ON stuff is nice and sweet but I only had the kind with caffeine in it. Nowadays I like the Scivation stuff (not sure why all the hate it tastes and mixes fine) or even BSN's AminoX cause you can get it very cheap, and they are pretty much the masters of flavor in my opinion.

[Captain Shoggoth]

Originally Posted by Tiger

The ON stuff is nice and sweet but I only had the kind with caffeine in it. Nowadays I like the Scivation stuff (not sure why all the hate it tastes and mixes fine) or even BSN's AminoX cause you can get it very cheap, and they are pretty much the masters of flavor in my opinion.

Ah, cheers for that, Xtend works out to be a hell of a lot cheaper than the ON stuff and slightly cheaper than BSN and if it's good enough for Layne Norton, it's good enough for me

[TRENCHLORD]

Originally Posted by Captain Shoggoth

Ah, cheers for that, Xtend work

My girlfriend says it doesn't work at all
https://www.extenze.com/

[Captain Shoggoth]

Originally Posted by TRENCHLORD

My girlfriend says it doesn't work at all
https://www.extenze.com/

hahahaha

[the hittmann]

Originally Posted by Murmel

My dumbbell bench has stalled for a few weeks now. Would you guys recommend switching to barbell for a while? The reason I stopped doing barbell was because it hurt my left shoulder, but now it doesn't hurt anymore so I guess I could give it a shot.

yes, its good to go back and forth between the two. Db helps with your stabilizer muscles. I would start light since it used two hurt your shoulder and progress accordingly.

[MFB]

Pretty soon I'll be moving back to Boston and starting school in the fall, and apparently my dorms not only have a gym but it's 24 hours as well which is fantastic for me since I like to go when it's empty (night-time). I'm looking at doing a bunch of upper body exercises and figure you guys would have some input. Looking at doing the following :

Squats
Deadlifts
Biceps
Triceps
Flys
Delts
Lats
Traps

Ideally that SHOULD be the right amount of exercises to work out the upper body right? Only thing I can think of that might not get worked is the Obliques but I haven't seen any exercises that use weights for those, they get worked in other movements no?

[Infamous Impact]

Originally Posted by MFB

Ideally that SHOULD be the right amount of exercises to work out the upper body right? Only thing I can think of that might not get worked is the Obliques but I haven't seen any exercises that use weights for those, they get worked in other movements no?

Working your obliques directly increases your waist size. It's best to train them through squats and deadlifts.

[MFB]

OK, so I was somewhat on the right track with them being worked through other exercises. Good to see I remember some stuff.